Kiss, Bow, Shake, Hello!
I am reporting to you from Clarkston, GA, my new home for the next 5 months. I am one of 4 students being discipled and trained in the Missionary Training Program with Global Frontier Missions. I am the only girl in the program and one of a handful of Americans in my housing complex.
Rather than load you all down with the nitty gritty details, I wonder if you will give me your eyes for a moment? I want to take you on a tour through my new home and hopefully give you an idea of the mind boggling place that is only hours away from your doorstep. It is blowing my mind.
Picture a place where (don't close your eyes) the American flag waves, roads have traffic lines, police patrol, and Wal Mart is not terribly far off. We all know this place. It is home. America, GA, the good South.
Now take exit 40 off I 285 to a little town named Clarkston. The road signs are all in English, proper British names, names like Church Street, but where are the Americans? They are here.. but you will have to look past the traditional sense of the term. As you drive in you hear languages from Ethiopia, Burma, Eritrea, Bhutan, India, Nepal, Iraq, Sudan, Liberia, all singing out together. People walk up and down the roads regardless of sidewalks, Muslim women hang their head coverings on pegs by the door, and Hindus visit the largest temple outside of India while grabbing tonights dinner from the Publix grocery store across the street. It is truly surreal.
The ratio of apartment complexes to private homes is 80% to 20%. This is truly a town that has become "home" to thousands of refugees from all over the world.If you are looking for groceries, clothing, or a place to eat, you will have your choice from most any ethnicity and language, and you will most likely be unable to determine how to pronounce or read the plethora of scripts and services offered. Need a full Musilm ensemble, Muslim pizza, or belly dancing lessons? They are all in my neighborhood.
Now let me invite you into my apartment complex, Clarkston Oaks.
Picture a place where Muslim women congregate in the afternoon sun on their doorstep in a circle of headcoverings and chairs, all waving as I drive out. A place where the Nepali families on the corner spread out a blanket in the patch of grass outside their door while squatting in traditional dress. Just next door to them is a very large family from Burma with 5 little girls, all playing with balls out in the parking lot while their parents and grandparents (Kapaho, and Gle Ney Sey) watch from the steps wrapped in beautiful loom weaved wraps. Then comes the Nepali, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and other African children riding bikes up and down the speed bumps. No White Americans yet..... and you have just passed three large housing buildings. Off to the side are a few little hooligans ( : climbing up the car hood of their minivan (hopefully theirs) and running around and jumping over a simple string raised up a little higher each time. They are from Burma. Now look straight back, it's me!! Hello! Welcome to my apartment, a place only God could have ordered my steps to inhabit. I am one of 4 apartments being used for GFM's ministry and missionaries. I have a couple of housemates and enough kiddos sharing my blanket in the grass with me to keep me from getting any studying done. ( : They fight over the pen and throw their trash down as they unknowingly open up good character lessons from their new neighbor Jenna.
This week I have been invited into many of these homes... sharing tea, cracked barley, and middle eastern chocolates, while discussing the after school program starting up this next week in our complex and filling out troublesome forms together, often with another family member helping to translate. I have had the privilage of laying hands on a diabetic Eritrean (the country that used to be part of Ethiopia) woman with my team as she deteriorated in health from a lack of insulin supply. Visiting her in her apartment the next day spoke of God's faithfulness as she seemed a new woman full of joy and energy. She, Maheza, speaks very little English.
I have shared meals in Hindu Nepali homes, been to a Nepali birthday party (lastnight) and made many contacts with other resident missionaries as I seek to plug in and as well make some good female contacts to do ministry alongside of. We do things two by two here.
I have also been in class 5 days this week, attended a volunteer training program, unloaded a world relief shipment trailor from a closed down hotel full of furniture, and had the awesome opportunity of moving a new Nepali family (quite a big one) into their new apartment! I had so much fun practicing some Nepali with the daughter as I taught her how to make an American style bed with fitted sheets and loose sheets.
God has blessed me tremendously with the opportunity to once again confront the culture of Nepal and is blessing my efforts to bond with the people here through the language I am able to recall from my time in Nepal a year and a half ago.
Just the simple use of a few Nepali words in a grocery store line to the cashier opened up a 20 minute conversation with a man checking out and leaving in front of me. As he overheard my Nepali words he hung around and engaged me with stories of how he came to be here and his life in a refugee camp for 18 years. After swapping e mail addresses he and his sister have formally invited me into their home. I wonder if you will pray for my ability to continue learning the language and attending these divine appointments.
I love you all and have much more information for you soon. I wanted to send you my eyes for a few minutes and rejoice over the body of Christ that supports me while I am walking with Him. Today was the first day away from Clarkston to attend church and God met me intimately in the service, something I have struggled to feel as a cloud of spiritual warfare fogs my thoughts and worship. It was a sweet release.
Please pray for the warfare I am engaging here and for complete victory in the small and large things. It is very present, even in my own stairwell as I came home last night I was engaging in warfare against an obvious demonic presence trying to cause fear.
Now off to home church and more reading and book reports!! I love you all and will be keeping you updated. Thank you to all who have given monetarily and offered prayer and encouragement!! I will be writing soon...
future updates will be shorter! Thank you for your time!!
On His journey to see eternity in the hearts of men,
Jenna Givens
I am praying for you.
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