Living with Chopsticks

Coming Home

2010-03-29T11:23:00.001-05:00

Yes, it was so clear not much over a year ago. We were raising funds to go to China. I had felt the Father’s call on my life for years to go with ELIC to serve in a university. And Bethany, sensing the same general calling on her life, stood by me hand in hand.

Then the Father focused our plans even more. Our denominational sending agency asked us to go to Laos with ELIC to begin a new work there. This was the opportunity of a lifetime. And Bethany and I were humbled by the invitation. We were honored that people would entrust such a big task to us.

We quickly received financial support and encouragement from friends and family. The outpouring was almost overwhelming. And all along, we knew that we would soon be leaving those same precious people to begin something new in Laos.

Our charge was to be here for four years. We would learn the language and make contacts our first year, assess the possibility to conduct business in Laos our second year, and hopefully, establish a work our third and fourth year.

But sometimes our plans simply are not His. We intending on Him to accomplish great things through us, while He intended on accomplishing great things in us. And we know that just as He has called us to this place, He is asking us to return.

This year has been filled with the hardship of being in a foreign culture. That hardship has driven us to His Word. It has made us thirsty for constant communion with Him. It has shown us that the strength of the Body is found on it’s knees. It has strengthened our marriage. And it has given us a longing to share His love with others in a forward yet gentle and compassionate way.

We plan to return to our home in Nashville, Tennessee in mid-June. Bethany would like to return to teaching elementary school, and I would like to return to the work of fundraising. Some things in our future seem unclear, but one thing is clear. Bethany and I are changed. The Father so graciously and lovingly has taken the time to show us His heart. And we cannot wait to share that with you.

Russell

This Day I Will Never Forget

2010-03-22T05:36:00.001-05:00

Last Friday afternoon before class, Bethany and I were told that the father of one of my students, Chansomai, had died in a motorbike accident the night before. Bethany and I were both saddened. Chansomai is one of the students that has taken us in since we first arrived. He carted me around wherever I wanted to go whether it was class or the market. He had also just begun being my Lao language tutor. Chansomai is just easy to like, and we like him very much.

So when I heard the news, I new that I wanted to return the same generosity he has shown us. I asked one of his friends if they were going to visit Chansomai in his village. There were five other students going to see him this past weekend, and I wanted to go.

At 5:20 a.m. on Sunday morning, the sun was not yet out but I was up and ready to go. Chansomai’s village is 100 kilometers from where I live, and we wanted to get there before the heat set in for the day. (It’s mostly been over 100 degrees every day.) The trip there was enjoyable. It wasn’t too hot, and we were going fairly fast. So it only took about an hour and a half.

Chansomai was so glad to see us and honored that I, his teacher, would come all that way to be with him at a time like this. His mother was crying as she kept bowing her head and kissing my hand. After the greetings, we sat a while to talk before being served breakfast. I was a little nervous. Eating “real” Lao food can be quite hazardous for people from the West. I quite often encounter blood and fermented fish oil in the food here in Laos. Obviously, I cannot eat that, and I always amaze myself with the creative ways I get out of eating such cuisine. I just stuck to grilled meat and rice that day.

After breakfast, Chansomai wanted to take us to a farm of one of the other students in his class at the university. It was a watermelon farm off the side of the main dirt road. It was such a good time. The guys and I sat back, ate watermelon, spit the seeds, and joked around for a while. It was good for all of us. And it was nice to feel like I was spending the day with friends. I don’t get that much.

The guys were eager to show off their foreign teacher, so I got carted around a lot. The next place we went was a close friend of another one of my students. Of course this family lived in traditional Lao house built on stilts. After a little chit-chat, the guys decided we needed a nap, and we did. So we laid back on the raised wooden platforms and slept for a couple of hours, three of us on one and three on the other. It would have been quite the sight for some of you. There were ducks under one of the platforms, chickens roaming everywhere, and the sounds of a good size pig a few feet away. I’m still amazed at some of the things I do.

That afternoon, we went back to see Chansomai and attend his father’s funeral. There was some what of a processional. People were packed in the back of trucks, in vans, and on motorbikes. The service would take place at the site of the cremation in the “forest” as Chansomai called it. And it was nothing less. The whole processional began off-roading into the woods. Not in a straight line or anything, mind you.

We arrived at the site where wood was gathered for the fire. We waited about 20 minutes for the monks to come from the temple. Then the casket was taken off the truck and the ceremony began. It wasn’t anything unusual. Words about his father were shared. Some people were very sad. Some people were indifferent.

And this I will never forget. It is customary for everyone attending to move the wood around the casket for burning. As I gathered some wood and put it on the fire, Chansomai watched very closely. He knew that I would not have come all this way and honor him by participating in his father’s funeral unless I cared very deeply for him. And that’s exactly what I wanted to communicate because I care about him very much.

As they lit the fire, Chansomai could no longer hold back the tears. I put my hand on his shoulder and stood by him as we watched the cremation. There weren’t any words exchanged, but he knew my heart was hurting for him. And I knew he was grateful for my presence.

May the Father use this for His glory.

The Results

2010-03-06T00:11:00.002-06:00

La wanted me to take her picture in the city as proof to all her friends that she went to Ubon.

So, we’ve been back from Thailand for about a week and La’s countenance has completely changed. We received good news from the doctor there. Everything is normal and the pain she is experiencing post-surgery is normal.

There were several obstacles that we were going to have to overcome in order to get to Thailand. First, La has no ID card or passport, so we weren’t even sure if she would be able to cross the border. Secondly, they wouldn’t let us buy her a bus ticket because she didn’t have a border pass, so that means we would have to taxi to the border and from the border. Next, we were told it could take hours for her to get a border pass once we got to the border. We didn’t mind waiting, except for the heat. (It has already been in the 100’s here.) Lastly, we didn’t know if she would actually get to see the doctor since the doctor doesn’t take appointments and it’s a first come, first serve basis.

Well, La did get a border pass, it took about 20 minutes to get it from the border officials (I think we might have paid him off a little. Not on purpose. He just smiled and didn’t give us our change back.). And we did get into see the doctor. We waited in an open air doctor’s office, only fans mind you, for about 2 hours before La was able to see the doctor.

We didn’t see the doctor until later in the evening and during the day we did some shopping at some of the stores that are kind of like Wal-Mart. She was like a kid in a candy shop, but at the same time, we had been in Thailand for about an hour and she said, “Sister, I’m ready to go home.”

With La’s mind at ease now, she is a much happier person. She’s not as worried as she was before about her health. This however, has allowed me to share with her that I am glad we got her checked out by the doctor and she’s all right physically, but to also let her know that I am worried about her spiritual well-being. It has lead to some great conversations this week. So, keep asking Dad to give us opportunities and for us to see them and take them.

I want to thank you for all your “askings.” I know that this is what is getting us through this with her and I have let her know that I have shared her story with you and that you all are interceding on her behalf. Thanks. It’s working.

Bethany

The Latest...

2010-02-25T22:09:00.000-06:00

Dear Friends,

I know it has been over a month since we’ve let you know what’s going on, but a lot has gone on!

First, we went to Chiang Mai, Thailand for our mid-year conference. We were there for about two weeks with little internet access. We had a marvelous time there! It was a wonderful time for renewal, relaxation, and meeting new friends from all over Asia.

After that, we came back to Pakse with our dear friend, Amanda Fretter. She is currently teaching in China and has had about two and half months off from teaching. She stayed with us for two weeks and we thoroughly enjoyed her company. She was a real encouragement to us both. Funny story about Amanda: we get to the border of Laos and Thailand. You have to apply for a visa at the border. She did. While we were there, we got acquainted with some Lao people who have lived in California for the past 30 years and are now US citizens. In the midst of all the chit-chat, the Lao couple left with Amanda’s passport. It was quite an interesting ordeal. The Lao people don’t want to lose face, so the border officials wouldn’t actually tell us that they didn’t have Amanda’s passport. In short, an officer got in a van with us to drive from the border to Pakse. We exchanged the correct passport with the Lao couple. It was somewhat tense there for a while, but it was resolved. So Amanda was happy that she didn’t lose all her stamps in her passport, which is what she was really worried about.

On top of that, our other wonderful friend, Rachel Dennis has come to live and teach in Pakse with us and we could not be more excited! She has already made some wonderful connections in her short time here. She has also been a wonderful encouragement to us.

Then, as soon as we arrived back from Chiang Mai, we started classes. Actually, classes started without us and we missed the first two weeks of school. Now we have completed three weeks of school, which is already hard to believe.

Lastly, we are going to make a trip to Ubon, Thailand this weekend. It’s about a 3 hour bus ride from Pakse. Our Lao friend, La, had surgery in December as most of you are aware of. We are taking her with us to go to a Thai hospital where they can determine if her procedure was done correctly. She is still experiencing pain and other side effects. Please lift her up and us and we travel and visit the doctor.

We promise to keep you informed about our trip.

Love you all,

Bethany

Travels to Savannakhet

2010-01-18T03:47:00.007-06:00

The dirt road to La’s house.

La’s House

Us with La after her ceremony.

La, Ked, and La’s sister at the temple.

The Temple in La’s village.

This weekend Russell and I visited my language tutor in her hometown of Savannakhet. It’s about 155 miles from where we live in Pakse. Okay. I know that many of you have questions, so I’m going to attempt to think of them all and answer them as best as I can. If I leave one out, just post a comment and I’ll do my best to get back to you.

The reason for going? They were having a special ceremony for my tutor because she has recovered from a major surgery. She wanted so badly for us to be there. I’m pretty sure we were the first foreigners to ever have visited their village. We were quite the spectacle. You would have thought we were famous!

The mode of transportation? Well, we could have taken a bus to get there, but there was no telling how long it would take and it was quite probable that we would have been dropped off on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere in Laos to wait for a different bus to take us to Savannakhet. If you know Russell and me at all, you know that this is definitely not appealing to us. At all. We have heard stories that it could take up to 8 hours to get there. You might be saying at this point, “But you’re only going 155 miles!” Yes, well, my friends, we’re in Laos. Not in America. So, I say all of that to say that instead of taking the “iffy” mode of transportation, we asked some good friends of ours in town if we could borrow their very old SUV. So, that is what we did. Russell drove the Hyundai Galloper all the way to Savannakhet, dodging cows, goats, chickens, motorbikes, bicycles, and random people walking on the road.

The amount of time it took? Okay, I know in the states to go 155 miles it should only take about 2 to 2 1/2 hours. It took us at least four hours. So, not too bad. (Well, I can say that because I wasn’t the one driving!)

Where did we spend the night? We stayed at a guesthouse in the downtown area of Savannakhet. It’s probably just a big as Pakse, maybe a little bit bigger. Our room was complete with bed, one side table, and chair. Yep, that’s it. Oh, did I mention that the bed was concave and as flat as a flitter? At least we had our own private bathroom. That was nice, except for the many, many mosquitoes. I am thankful it was cool outside, though. We left the windows open and slept with a fan all night.

How was the village? The village was about 10 miles off the main road on a very, bumpy, dirt road. It took us a half hour just to get to her village. We drove for a while on the dirt road and didn’t see anything. Then all of a sudden, we come across a village. Wrong one. So, we keep going. Thirty minutes later, we come to La’s house. It was actually a quaint, quiet little village. It was amazing of how many houses and temples are in the middle of nowhere! La took us to two temples in her village. It was heartbreaking to see her and her sister bowing down before the stupa.

What did you have to eat? Good question. Actually, La’s family was in Pakse about 3 weeks ago because of her surgery and stayed at our teammates’ house so, they watched carefully how they cooked things. They tried to recreate things that we had fixed! It was such a sweet gesture and we honestly didn’t have to eat anything icky.

How was the ceremony? To be quite honest, we had told La that we could not come or participate in the ceremony because of our beliefs, so we didn’t actually see the ceremony take place. Nonetheless, she was very excited to see us. I think she likes Russell the most, because she went straight for him as soon as we pulled up. She loves her “brother.” That’s what she calls him and she calls me “sister.” It’s Lao culture to call those close to you “brother” and “sister.”

I hope this answers all your questions. It was very tiring, but a very rewarding trip. Again, we are the Father’s hands extended to these people.

Until next time,

Bethany

Video, Pics, and a Note from Bethany

2010-01-12T19:17:00.008-06:00

Okay, so I know it’s been a little while, but it’s been a little crazy in the Cooper household in Laos. As you all know, my parents were here to visit during the Christmas season and we’re kind of getting back in the swing of things...or out of the swing of things, rather.

For starters, final exams were supposed to be at the end of this month. No problem, right? Well, on Christmas eve, we were told that exams were the week of January 4 and we had, indeed, taught our last classes without having known it. So, our thoughts were, “All right. How do we write an exam without having prepared our students for it?” Somehow, someway, we did just that. We have been scrambling around writing our exams and helping give exams last week and this week. On the upside, we get about a three week break that we weren’t expecting. The downside? Who knows when the second semester will begin. But when in Laos, do as the Lao. “Where they don’t ___ and they don’t even want to.” This has been our motto through it all.

Secondly, we wanted to have a Christmas party for our students, but with having to go back to the States at the beginning of December and with my parents here, things did not go as planned. So, we decided that we would have a New Year’s Party for our students. We invited all three of our classes, which, if they are all in class is about 150 students. We only advertised our party the day before, so we knew that not many would come, but we had a good turn out and we were very pleased. We had about 17 students in all, which was plenty for our little house. Our teammates also came over, so in all we had about 25 people. I think the students had a wonderful time. We had a game of Spoons going on in one corner (which they love, by the way), a game of Uno (which they call “You-no”, hilarious!), and a game of Scrabble that I altered a little bit for their level. All in all, everyone had a good time. We made some good “American” food, like brownies, peanut butter cookies, popcorn, caramel dip and apples, carrots and cucumbers, and their new favorite food, deviled eggs. All the food was gone! That was another indication that the students had a good time. Before the students left, they all gathered around in circle and sang their New Year song for us in Lao. It was a wonderful end to an eventful evening.

This is a video of our students singing their Lao New Year song!

These are all our wonderful students who came to our party!

Next, my language tutor has had a rather major surgery. Russell and I were at the hospital as much as we could be and then she came home to our teammates’ house to recover before going to her hometown. We have all been trying to do our part to show her the Father’s love. She is so close. She is now back in her hometown for the rest of her recovery and we are all going to visit her this weekend for a special ceremony that her family is having for her. This should definitely be interesting and I’m sure we’ll tell you all about it. We have not visited many villages or been in any Lao homes for that matter, so this will be an eye-opening experience.

We love and think of you all often.

Bethany

This is my family with my language tutor and her mother.

Both Happy and Sad

2009-12-22T09:23:00.003-06:00

These past few weeks have been like none other. On Friday morning, December 4, Bethany and I learned that her grandmother passed away. It was her Mom’s mother and last living grandparent. Bethany’s family is very small and very close. Although Bethany’s family was unsure that we should make the journey to the States for the funeral, I knew that Bethany would only regret if we didn’t go.

It’s hard to explain how we felt the moment we learned we would be going home. Home has been on our hearts the moment we left. And the Father knew that we needed to be refreshed. I hope I’m not being too candid, but to be honest, we knew that the return to Laos would be one of the hardest circumstances we’ve ever faced.

The journey wasn’t easy. It took 51 hours from door to door, Pakse to Nashville. It was also very emotional. Bethany and I we’re nervous as we stepped off the plane in Nashville. I’m not exactly sure why. I can only speculate that since we’ve been trying to fit into another culture for several months, we weren’t sure how well we would readjust to our own culture. Of course we were tired but didn’t have time to recuperate. The visitation and funeral were the following day and a graveside service was held the following morning.

To tell you that it was good to see family and friends would be a gross understatement. It had been a long time since that much love was tangible for us. In Laos, we have a team for which we are very grateful. But the joys and the trials we’ve experienced with our Nashville family through the years have created bonds that are strong. The support we felt in the short days we were there c

annot be adequately described.

And thus, it was difficult to return to Laos. The evening before we left was filled with many tears, as were the days to follow. I think despair would be a good word to describe how we felt last week. We felt helpless and wanted nothing more than to return to th

e States. But last week might have been our time of greatest growth in the Father and as a couple. Bethany and I know that we need each other now more than ever and that we can count on one another.

I also want you to know that the Father is using us to make an impact. Some affects we can see and some we cannot. But it is good to know that this sacrifice is not in vain. He is using us.

At the Thailand border.

Steve and I in a very small mode of transportation. We didn’t fit!

Now the happy part of the story. Bethany’s parents have come for Christmas! They will be here a total of 10 days. We picked them up on Thailand on Sunday. And it has been a joy for them to be with us. We took them to the market on their first day in Laos, and Bev was wide-eyed the whole time. And of course, we put up a Christmas tree that very day. Bethany did a beautiful job, if I do say so myself.

Our Christmas tree in Laos!

The Tree

The Topper

We haven’t been very active though. We’ve just been at the house enjoying each other’s company and eating good food. Steve is going to class with Bethany tomorrow. And they are both coming to class with us on Thursday. The students will love them!

Steve and Bev brought bags of goodies for us from their fellowship in Pleasant View, Tennessee. Bethany and I feel so loved and our bellies will be full for many weeks and months to come because of their generosity.

All of our goodies from Goodsprings FWB Fellowship!

And now for what you’ve all been waiting for. This is a video of Bethany and Beverly on our motorbike. They are a sight!

Care Package, Mice, Thanksgiving, and Village Visit, Whew!

2009-12-03T05:26:00.008-06:00

The last couple of weeks have been very eventful. We have received a care package, found a mouse in our printer, had a great Thanksgiving meal, and visited a village outside of Pakse.

The package was sent by my Mom’s Sunday school class at the Crosspointe fellowship. It was very thoughtful because we love care packages! They sent macaroni and cheese, spices for our Thanksgiving meal, plates and napkins for Christmas, and lots of other goodies. It makes us feel so loved!

Our next event was a visitor and not the good kind. Just over night, our printer stopped working. It was very frustrating. So I decided to call in the tech support, Jeff. Yes, he is a teacher and a teammate, but more importantly, he fixes all of our technical problems. He graciously came over late that night. After looking it over, he said, “Russell, I feel something is living in there.” I replied, “Jeff, I didn’t ask you to give me a psychic read. I just want you to fix the printer!” Come to find out, there was a mouse living in the printer. It was quite cute but very difficult to remove. We tried chopsticks but I ended up just shaking the printer profusely. Unfortunately, the printer is damaged beyond repair in Laos.

Thanksgiving was fun. Of course, we missed being with our family. But it was great being with our team and students. We had the whole Thanksgiving spread. I was in charge of the turkey and dressing. Bethany was in charge of green beans and deviled eggs. Truthfully, because of my teaching schedule, Bethany had a big hand in the turkey. Our only mishap was 30 minutes before the meal was supposed to start. The dressing was still in the oven and the oven ran out of gas. I didn’t panic. I hopped on the motor bike and went to a little shop down the road. Within minutes, a little Lao guy came to the house with a new gas tank. The oven hadn’t even cooled. We all ate more than we could and handle. And the evening was ended with a dramatic presentation about the meaning of Thanksgiving. The students thought it was great.

Last week we went to a village about 20 kilometers outside of town. This village makes furniture and we are in desperate need of making our house feel like a home. It was amazing to see how they live. And this village is a great representation of how the majority of Lao people live. We purchased two book shelves made out bamboo. They each cost $7. We also found some wicker furniture that we’d like to purchase later.

Bethany is going shopping in Thailand this weekend. It’s only a 45 minute drive to the border. She’s going with our teammate Amy. There are many things we can’t purchase in Laos but can in Thailand. This trip, buying a Christmas tree is a high priority. I’ll be on my own for a couple of days. And I’m looking forward to some quiet time.

Russell

Motorbikes and Moses

2009-11-23T04:13:00.004-06:00

Don’t worry. They have nothing to do with each other, as far as I know. Last week, Bethany and I went to look for a motorbike. We have been without personal transportation since we left the States. It sounds awful, but it hasn't been that bad. It can be a bit inconvenient, but I think it has helped slow our lives down. And you know we love that.

The motorbike is a Honda. We were told that it was the best brand that Laos had to offer, and I certainly don’t want Bethany having a motorbike break down on her in the middle of no where. I haven’t taken it over the 50 mile an hour mark yet. There hasn’t been a need. And don’t forget, it’s not a motorcycle. It’s a motorbike. Better than a moped but not too much. There were about three colors to choose from so it wasn’t like picking out a paint color for the house. I’m not sure I could have survived that again.

One of my Lao friends took me and my teammate Jeff to purchase mine and his. They gave us all free jackets, which I will not be wearing. The rest of the day was was spent cruising of course! There is a sense of freedom now. We can come and go as we please, and we love it.

Now to Moses. I’ve been reading in Exodus lately. To tell you the truth, drawing application from the old part of the Book is difficult for me. But as I’ve been reading about Moses, the Father has been bringing some things to mind. I thought I might share them.

The Father doesn’t call people with perfect records. Just before the Father called Moses to his great task, Moses murdered another man. Moses was a murderer. Sometimes I don’t feel worthy to carry His precious gift, and I ask Him why he would ask me to be his son and messenger. But I’ve been reminded that He never calls on a perfect person. We can only be made perfect through Him.

The Father is responsible for equipping us. Moses is the classic example. He could not speak well. The Father chose a man with confidence issues to approach the most powerful man in the world to deliver a message from the Creator. It doesn’t make sense. Or does it? How could the Father receive the glory if everyone thought Moses was a confident, eloquent speaker? But Moses was equipped. The Father gave him his brother Aaron to be his mouth piece and the ability to show the Father’s power.

Just because we follow the Father’s instructions, it does not mean that our life will make sense to us. Moses went to Pharaoh just as instructed. But instead of replying favorably to Moses’ request, he doubled the work load of the Israelites and dealt with them even more harshly. Moses’ actions affected a whole nation "for the worse." You would think that if you followed His instructions, your life would be easy and grand. But the Father had something different in mind to reveal His power and glory.

Finally, following Him requires great sacrifice. We have all looked at heros in the Book and wondered if we could ever be used to accomplished such great things. It seems so glamorous. But I seriously doubt that Moses was feeling like a celebrity. The Israelites begged him to leave them alone. It seemed as if he only brought them trouble. But Moses did not listen to man but listened to his Father. I am sure it wasn’t easy. And I am even more sure that it was at great personal sacrifice.

Russell

Brown Beans and Cornbread

2009-11-11T09:14:00.001-06:00

Nothing brings me closer to home than brown beans and cornbread. It’s a great comfort food. I remember going to my grandmother’s house on more than one occasion for this favorite. My brother Andy didn’t like brown beans and cornbread at the time so Grandma fixed spaghetti for him. And you think I’m spoiled!? They didn’t taste quite like Grandma’s but they weren’t too far off.

I have to thank my mom for sending us the beans and cornbread in our care package. Thanks for a great home cooked meal, Mom!

Russell

Amazing Day at the Waterfalls

2009-11-07T08:09:00.002-06:00

Today was probably filled with the most fun Bethany and I have had since we left the States in July. Some of my students invited us to go with them to visit waterfalls today. Bethany and I were both really tired from the week and just wanted to take Saturday to relax. But I felt like this would be a great time to get to know my students out of the classroom.

I actually felt a little guilty that we were going. I knew Bethany needed a quiet, uneventful weekend, but I also knew the opportunities that this day would create. So I was pulled in both directions. Whose need would come first, my students need to spend time with their teacher or my wife’s need to recuperate after a long week? Well, I didn’t have to choose. All things work together for good for those that love Him and are called according to His purpose. I just followed His leading, and today was just what the students needed and just what Bethany and I needed.

They picked us up at the house at about 9:30 this morning. We hopped on some motorbikes and away we went through beautiful countryside and villages. It was about an hour drive to the first waterfall but it was spectacular. I’ve never seen anything like it before. First, we ate lunch at the top of the waterfall with our feet in the cool, fast running water. Then we made the venture down to the bottom of the waterfall. Bethany and the other girls just went half way. It was very muddy and slippery from all the water coming off the falls. But me and the other guys decided to go all the way down until we reached the very bottom of the waterfall. Looking back, it was quite dangerous but so worth it.

The day wasn’t just filled with breath-taking scenery but filled with friendships being strengthened. I’m not sure that our relationship will develop into the kind of friendship I was expecting. It might always be a student-teacher relationship. But we’re growing closer and it’s fulfilling to be apart of their lives. It’s fulfilling because it’s all been orchestrated by someone who loves them more than I ever could.

First Haircut in Pakse and Unwanted Visitor

2009-11-06T08:46:00.004-06:00

If you know me, I’m a little picky when it comes to appearance. I wouldn’t say that I’m vain; and I hope others wouldn’t either; but I do like to look my best. I’ve been due for a hair cut, so I asked one of my students if he would take me to get it cut. He told me that he knew just the place. We ventured out this afternoon and stopped at what you might call “a hole in the wall.” And it really was. There were only two walls.

The barber seemed nice enough. And it only took about ten minutes. I’m a firm believer in “you get what you pay for.” This is no exception. The haircut cost about $1.25, that included trimming up my sideburns (too short, I might add) with a dull straight razor - quite painful. If I were in Nashville, I’d be a little embarrassed with the results. But guess what, I’m not. So it’s fine.

Before I left the house for my haircut, Bethany and I had a visitor. You know we love visitors but not these kind. It was a fairly good-sized lizard. Frankly it was a little scary looking. I went to the landlord’s house and had a Lao person come remove it from the house. We have friendly, very little lizards in the house all the time. That’s just the name of the game. But this was a big lizard that bites. Not so good.

A Visit from a Friend

2009-11-03T07:58:00.003-06:00

What a great week! Our good friend James Forlines arrived on Saturday evening. I picked him up from the Thailand border at about 5 p.m. with his 4 bags. The weekend was full of fun and interesting things.

First, we decided to go to dinner that evening at an Indian restaurant downtown. We started walking down our road to find a tuk tuk but instead we found a sam lo. These are a little different. It’s a two seater. So James got on the back of the motorbike while Bethany and I got in the two seats attached to the side. It was quite the funny site. But it got even funnier when the rain came. Out of nowhere, it started pouring. By the time we got to the restaurant, we were all soaked and laughing.

That evening was kind of like Christmas. As I mentioned, James had 4 bags and he’s usually a light traveller. Needless to say, he had stuff for us. Before we left Nashville, Bethany and I set aside some things to ship. When we found out how much it cost, we deferred to free shipping called James. He brought all our cooking utensils and even a cast iron skillet. I know you might think that’s overkill but it is truly necessary. Well, that’s my opinion. Anita, James’ wife, sent chocolate chips and goldfish crackers. And the big surprise was a little white box. Our friend Lori put together a little package from our friends in Nashville filled with very meaningful gifts. There was a package of cinnamon-hazelnut coffee from Star Bagel, Bethany’s favorite coffee cup from Kiley and Jenny’s house, and letters from Bethany’s former 5th graders. There were definitely tears.

Sunday morning we met with some friends to talk and sing songs. It was a good time. We even went out for authentic Lao food afterward to a restaurant floating on the Mekong River. I think James was impressed with the scenary. Pakse is surrounded beautiful mountains. The afternoon was spent talking around the table at the house, and preparing for the team to come over for dinner. (I took a nap too because I was a little grumpy.) We wanted James to get to know the people we have the privilege of working with. So I whipped up some fried chicken, mashed potatoes, and slaw. I think the team liked it.

Monday, James came to school with me and Bethany. He came to both of my classes. The students have been studying how to have a first conversation. I decided to utilize James to give them practice. After their vocabulary quiz, James spoke about his family and life in Nashville for about 10 minutes. Then the students were able to spend the rest of the class asking question, getting to know him. That evening was spent playing scrabble, eating popcorn, and drinking coke. It kind of felt like home.

We sent him off this morning. We were sad to see him go but thrilled that he visited. James is very special to us, a very good friend, and a great example for us, and it was comforting to have someone so close to be with us here.

Special Delivery and Game Night at the Coopers

2009-10-23T10:37:00.002-05:00

Everyone loves to get mail. But it seems as if the longing is intensified when you move over seas. We love to be on Skype and get email from our friends, but there is something about going to the post office to claim a package with your name on it. My mom was so gracious to send us a care package. And I didn’t even tell her to. I guess that is what moms do.

First on the list was some kind of meat. I know that sounds funny, but she didn’t think I was eating enough meat so she bought some Hormel microwave dinner featuring roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy. I don’t have a microwave but luckily, there are directions for boiling. And if you know me, I like to cook from scratch, but I had one today, and it was good! I also got some undershirts. Of course she had to send something practical. And she sent granola bars which Bethany loved.

All in all, it was nice to come home from a long day of teaching to a big box of gifts!

Tonight, we had some students over for dinner and game night. I get a little tense when we have people over. I want everyone to like the food and conversation and just have fun. I think all of those were accomplished this evening. If you know me and Bethany, our weekend wouldn’t be complete without having friends over for dinner. And we haven’t had the chance to do that until now. It was a nice feeling.

We made sticky rice, steamed rice, and roasted green beans with garlic and onion. We grabbed some whole fish grilled to perfection, and we were ready to go. After I thanked everyone for coming, I explain that in our home, we give thanks to our Father before we eat. It was a nice opportunity to show our heart. After dinner, we plays Spoons. The students loved it. And naturally, I won. But I didn’t make a big deal about it. (Well, maybe a little.)

Tomorrow, we’re shopping again which Bethany loves. We still need a desk and some shelves. I don’t know if I have the stamina to pull an all day shopping extravaganza so I hope it doesn’t take too long.

Russell

Teacher Luncheon

2009-10-20T00:55:00.002-05:00

Okay. So, I know that we have been out of touch with you all for almost two weeks now. Things here just take a little longer than normal. It will have been two weeks since we moved into our house and almost two weeks since we’ve started the internet process for our house. The Lao Telecom people have been working diligently trying to figure out what our internet problem is. They have been to the house at least a half-a-dozen times. We’ve been going over to our teammates’ house and bumming their internet. But that’s all changing. We got internet today, fast internet. Yeah!

We’ve also been to Thailand to renew our entry visa and have been able to purchase some things for the house. Going to Thailand is fun. I love Thailand.

We have had a lot going on. We both just finished one full week of teaching, I have started language lessons for one hour a day, and we have team meetings once a week. This is what our normal routine will consist of. Russell hopes to start language again, soon, but the girls are still looking for for someone to tutor him. My tutor is very good and I am enjoying language lessons. With the program that we are going to work with, we are not allowed to speak the language in our lesson times for at least 4 weeks. My tutor, La, is a very good English speaker and she says I should start speaking in just two weeks. We’ll just have to wait and see about that.

Okay, so funny story. On Tuesday, I got to my classroom about 10 minutes early. Most of my students were already there, so I just started chatting with them before class began. Well, while we were chatting, I hear this goat and he is moaning something awful. I proceed to give my students a look that says, “What is that?” and walk to the window. Sure enough, there he is, the goat, I mean. Accept, the only problem is the goat is on his side, lying on the ground, in a rice sack and only his head is sticking out. My first thought was, “What is a goat doing in a sack?” and my second thought was, “Someone should help that poor goat.” So, I ask the student closest to me why the goat was in a sack. He says, “Well, Lao people love to eat goat.”

“Great,” I thought. Somebody is going to take this goat home and eat it. Well, I’m just teaching away and me and the class still hear the awful whining of the goat and every time I hear him, I just stop, look the class and say “poor goat.” They chuckle at me when I say this. The goat would not stop, so, I decided to look out the window. When I did, there was one of the male teachers pulling the goat out of the sack. “Oh, good. Someone is going to set that goat free.” WRONG! When the male teacher pulled the goat out of the sack, all four of his limbs were tied together and the teacher dragged him and tied him to a pole. Well, toward the end of class, I realized that I didn’t hear the wailing goat any more. I looked out the window and he was gone. I thought, “Well, someone has finally taken that goat home.”

The day before I had experienced some stomach problems so, when my teammate told me that the other teachers had invited us to lunch, I was relieved to have an excuse to not eat whatever they had fixed and go home. Oh, it gets better and I bet you can tell me the end to this story. So, Sarah and I are turning the corner of our building to get to the motorbike to go home, and lo and behold, there is the goat. He is propped up and on fire. Yep. He was supposed to be my lunch. Grilled goat. Just right outside my classroom building. I’m in southeast Asia. I have pictures to prove it. I just kept saying “poor goat”.

Bethany

Our New House

2009-10-09T01:03:00.002-05:00

Our new house. It’s nestled off the road with about 5 other rent houses, all rented by foreigners. One of our Lao friends said it looks like a “resort,” but I wouldn’t go that far.

We have a good size kitchen. The countertops are higher than most Lao homes. There is a free-standing cabinet and cabinets over the counters. We have a stove with no insulation so it heats the whole kitchen. And we have a medium size refrigerator. But we’ve cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom.

The living space is large. It’s very nice. The Lao lady in the picture is our landlady. She is very sweet and always wants to give us food.

As for the rest of the house, we have two bedrooms and two baths. So if you’re up for an exotic vacation or you just want to see us, we have room. I’ve loaded more pics on Facebook if you want to see more of the house and farm animals on our driveway and just outside of our house.

Russell

We're in!

2009-10-06T08:20:00.000-05:00

We’re moved in. And I know you all want to see pictures but you’ll have to wait just a bit longer. It’s a really cute house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms, a good size kitchen and a large living space. We moved in on Saturday. It’s now Tuesday evening and we’ve made significant progress in getting settled in.

Bethany and I spent about 4 or 5 hours cleaning the kitchen. When I say clean, I mean disinfect. We concocted a bleach solution to use on the counters, in the cabinets, and in the refrigerator. After lots of scrubbing, Bethany was satisfied. Bethany cleaned the main bathroom the next day, but we haven’t cleaned much since.

Yesterday, we finally got the washing machine hooked up. The landlady sent a man over to work on it. He drilled to holes through the house for the hoses. Yes, I said “through.” The washer just drains to the back of the house along with the kitchen water. So after teaching this morning, Bethany spent the rest of the day washing clothes. She did three loads. That’s all that would fit on the rack outside.

I spent this morning cooking dinner. Things take a little longer around here. We wanted pasta with tomato sauce. So I peeled 25 tomatoes this morning and simmered some olive oil and fresh garlic with the tomatoes. It turned out nicely. In the midst of simmering the sauce, the gas tank ran out. Wouldn’t you know it.

This afternoon, I went to a little stand with my address written on an index card, and with the help of my team leader, I had gas in my house within the hour. Just after I got back, a water truck pulled in to our cul-de-sac. This is very important because up until then, Bethany and I did not have enough drinking water. We were able to get two 5 gallon jugs. And after that, I went to Lao Telecom to get internet. Yes, I was very busy! But it felt good to get so much accomplished.

Bethany and I finished the afternoon with a short nap and an episode of Murder, She Wrote. Quite the day. Who knows what is in store for tomorrow?

It's Been Tough

2009-10-02T02:18:00.000-05:00

So Wednesday was probably the hardest day since Bethany and I left. We decided to not rent the first house we saw but rent the second one instead. We called the landlady and told her what we had decided. I won’t go into the details but the landlady from the first house was very upset with us. That may not seem like a big deal. But in Laos (and probably most of Southeast Asia), offending someone is a very big deal. Bethany and I were feeling both guilt and pressure to take this house we didn’t want for many reasons so that we could make amends with the landlady. We were feeling so much pressure because in this culture, this situation could damage our reputation and the reputation of who we work with.

This went on most of the day Wednesday, and was not resolved until Thursday afternoon. Wednesday night was very emotional for Bethany and me. We were both sick about it. But we asked the Father to redeem the situation. And he did. It’s kind of like a miracle. The landlady called back and said, “Don’t worry about it.” Or at least that’s how it’s translated into English from Lao. This is a phrase that releases us from feeling obligation or guilt and it did just that.

On Thursday we both taught at the university. Bethany taught one class and I taught three. It’s been raining non-stop for the past two days. And our university only has dirt roads. Today’s sunshine dried the roads up some but it was still difficult to get around. Today was my first day teaching and I thoroughly enjoyed my students. They were excited I was there. I’ve already been invited to another province to visit one of my student’s families. And another class invited me to go to a waterfall with them. It is amazing how the Father gave me so much opportunity today to build relationships.

Something funny happened this afternoon. One of the goats outside my classroom was so loud that it was hard to concentrate. I know you just read that last sentence twice. And note that I said that “one of the goats.” There are many farm animals just outside my classroom, but this one was feisty today.

Please continue to remember Bethany and me. Some days are easy and some are not so easy. This is harder than I thought it would be. But I have a feeling the rewards are greater than I can imagine.

Moving Day!

2009-09-29T08:24:00.004-05:00

Well, we made it. We left Vientiane on a night bus last night to arrive in Pakse at about 5:45 a.m. It’s pouring down rain here. It seems that we’re getting the remanence of a hurricane off the coast of Vietnam. It’s supposed to be raining non-stop for the next several days.

We did purchase an oven yesterday before leaving Vientiane! To get it to Pakse, it had to be put on top (Yes, I said on top.) of another bus. Our bus and the bus the oven and our bicycles were on was arriving at a different bus station than we were. So it was my job to track them down once we arrived. It was quite the ordeal and I wish I had the energy to tell you every detail. But I’ll just say, it took me an hour in the pouring rain traveling around in a tuk tuk with a very helpful Lao gentleman. When I got back to our teammates’ house, Bethany thought it was hilarious that I was drenched. I was just glad we didn’t loose a $200 oven.

On that note, I am sad to inform you that while we were napping this morning, our bikes were stolen out of the front yard of our teammates’ house. Bethany wasn’t too happy. But it could have been worse. The Father knows our needs.

After a nice nap in this morning, we enjoyed lunch with our team and one of their Lao friends. We had fried rice and Thai noodles. Of course we did. We’re in Asia. Then we went with Sarah and her friend to look at our other housing option. It was a really beautiful house with two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Of course, I was looking at the kitchen and it was well equipped. We’re leaning toward this house but I don’t want to make a commitment just yet. Things are so fluid here. It’s hard to know where you’ll end up.

Bethany and I spent the afternoon watching Murder She Wrote. Our teammates have Season 1. We had never seen the first episode. After that, we had dinner with the team. They ordered out for Indian food. As soon as it got here, the power went out but not for too long. We’re currently enjoying some freshly baked Betty Crocker cookies.

Bethany and I start teaching tomorrow. That’s if they don’t cancel class because of the rain. It’s dirt roads all the way to school, so it’s a possibility. I’ll keep you updated.

Russell

Pakse Bound

2009-09-26T06:28:00.005-05:00

Team Laos

Third Row: Doug, Russell, Kenton, Maurice, Corky

Second Row: Mirinda and Johnny, Bethany Kat, Mark, Jeff, Heather

First Row: Sarah, Amy, Pam Amy, Linda

Team Pakse

In just a few short days, two more to be exact, Russell and I will be moving down to Pakse! It’s so hard to believe that it’s finally here. And on top of moving down on Monday, we will also begin teaching on Wednesday. Crazy! I can definitely say that we are ready for a routine and ready to build relationships. Don’t get me wrong, we have acquired some relationships here, but just knowing that we will be living and staying in Pakse makes a huge difference.

We still don’t know what we’re going to do about the house situation. We’ll keep you posted on what happens! When we arrive on Tuesday morning, we will go and look at the other house that Russell told you about. This will also give us some bargaining room with the other landlords, if we decide to stay at that house. I know that the house we are going to look at has two bedrooms, a great room, completely furnished (whatever that means), and it has a washing machine. They are asking the same price for this house as the first house and it seems that it may have more to offer, which would be good in the long run. We really liked the first house--it is really clean and in a great location, but it doesn’t have a lot of furnishings and we’ll have to purchase things to furnish the house.

This week has been full of meetings and greetings, do’s and don’ts, and cultural information. We finally got to meet all of Team Laos and Team Cambodia. There has been so much information thrown at us in the past two months, I hope that we can keep track of it all. I know with His help that we will. I have included a couple of pictures of Team Laos and Team Pakse. I hope you enjoy.

Since our whole team has been here, we asked the girls who have lived in Pakse what we should buy here that we can’t get in Pakse to take down with us. We went to a mini-mart and here is what we came out with: two small packages of brown sugar, a large package of dried chickpeas, a small package of dried cranberries and dried golden raisins, a bottle of maple syrup, and a can of Coca-Cola (Russell was thirsty). All for the small price of $19.50. Yeah, you’re telling me! Things are not-so-cheap here because almost everything is imported either from China, Thailand, or Vietnam. But, that’s the way it is.

Bethany

More Training, Class Schedule Received, and Housing Complications

2009-09-21T10:01:00.000-05:00

I feel like training never ends. I guess it never really does, but we’ve been in “training” since July 20. That’s 2 full months! But this is our last week of training, really. Today we met with the whole team. All returning members and new members met for the first time. There are 16 team members all together. And it was a good day. Of course, Bethany and I didn’t know what to expect, but we knew that the Father had put this team together with purpose. Each individual is so different. I’m not sure I could have hand-picked a team that is so diverse. Isn’t that to his glory! He made each one of us with a special purpose. Think of us this week as we try to build bonds between our team.

Bethany and I received our class schedule today! We both are very happy with the outcome. I am especially happy. Bethany is teaching one class a day. Each class is 1 hour and 40 minutes. She is teaching Oral Communication to 3rd year students and Critical Reading to 4th year students. She’s teaching a total of 10 credit hours. I, on the other hand, am teaching 3 days a week! You heard it. I am teaching 3 days a week. Of course, I’m teaching more hours each day than Bethany, but I’m really excited about my “days off.” I’m teaching all 4th year students. And I’m also teaching Oral Communications, as well as, Essay Writing. I was so excited about the writing classes. I’m also teaching 10 credit hours a week.

Something interesting happened on Saturday. I received a phone call on my cell. It was a number I didn’t recognize. Of course, when I answered, it was someone who only spoke Lao. Yes, I’ve been studying the language, but by no means can I have a phone conversation in Lao. I was able to tell the lady (in Lao) that I was sorry that did not understand her and that I only spoke a little Lao. After we hung up, I took the phone to someone who did speak Lao. She called the lady back. It happened to be our landlady in Pakse. She called to inform us that someone else offered her more money for the house that we have agreed to rent, and she wants us to pay more or she’ll give it to someone else. Well, that wasn’t the best news we’d ever heard, but we told her that we still wanted the house. We are going to look at renting another house that has 3 bedrooms for the same price as our 2. I guess this is what it means to be flexible.

Pushing Your Own Tuk Tuk

2009-09-17T09:18:00.001-05:00

Today was wonderful. It felt like getting out of school in the summer time. It was our last day to study at Candlelight Language Center. We’ve been studying for 3 weeks, 3 hours a day. That may not sound like a lot, but your brain can only hold so much. But I’m surprised at how much my brain has been holding. I taught my Lao students at the guesthouse for the last time tonight. They usually help me with my Lao; so I took the liberty of reviewing basically everything I know so far. And even I was surprised at how much I could say. And they were surprised that I’ve only been studying 3 weeks. It made me feel pretty good.

A funny thing happened on the way back from language school today. It’s been raining quite a bit here. And the roads are muddy. We have a little tuk tuk for 6 adults and it already moves quite slowly; so muddy roads didn’t help. Actually, we got stuck; and I had the privilege of pushing our tuk tuk through the mud; and getting it rolling so it could start again. It made me feel like I was in Laos. And I am.

Over Mountain or Plain or Sea

2009-09-14T09:23:00.000-05:00

I’ve needed some inspiration lately, and the Father knew just what I needed. Bethany brought a couple of books with her, one of which is called Over Mountain or Plain or Sea. It’s the autobiography of a fellow worker, Trula Cronk, and her husband Dan.

The first nugget of inspiration I found was in the foreword. I know it’s not the most likely place to find it; but as I began reading, a voice seemed to speak through the pages that was calming and familiar. And indeed it was. My dear friend Rob Morgan edited this gripping story and wrote a captivating introduction. There are some people in life that you not only connect with but they take the time to help shape your life. Rob has been one of those people in my life, and the foreword of this book seemed like a note from him to me.

Trula was from the mountains of East Tennessee. At a young age, her mother passed away. Sure that he could not provide a life or education for Trula, her father sent her to live with her aunt and uncle. Trula struggled. Although she was grateful, she never felt part of the family. At the beginning of her eighth grade school year, her aunt and uncle decided that they needed her to work around the house more than she needed an education. Trula thought otherwise. Completely distraught, she sought counsel from her teacher. This dear woman of encouragement made temporary arrangements for Trula to live near the school house. Trula was living by faith even at this young age, trusting the Father to take care of her every need. And He did.

I.L. Stanley and His wife Mary Frances from the local children’s home, operated by fellowships of our denomination, saw to it that Trula had a loving home and a proper education. Her time spent at this home shaped her life. She attained the education she desired. She even went on to college, something she never thought she could afford. It’s here she met Dan, her husband, a man of character and integrity.

They decided that the Father was calling them to India to serve the people there. They sacrificed a great deal to make it to India. And they sacrificed a even more to stay in India. But the mighty ways the Father proved faithful time and time again astounded me.

It was just what I needed, a story of His faithfulness, a story of the Father’s hand on every facet of Trula’s life. And it was a reminder that the Father has His hand on every facet of my life and Bethany’s. Thank you Dan and Trula for your example of faith. It was not in vain.

My New Friends

2009-09-10T08:44:00.001-05:00

These are my new friends. The young lady’s name is La, and the young man’s name is Khamla. I just finished my 4th tutoring session with them. And it has been so fun. They are so appreciative of me taking time to teach them English. And I am so appreciative of them taking time to teach me Lao. Tonight I learned head, ear, hand, and feet. Of course, I learn much more in language school but it’s just too fun to learn from them.

Studying their language definitely gives me sympathy for them while they learn my language. Quite frankly, Lao is much easier than English. I cannot imagine how complex my language must seem. I’ve only been studying Lao for 2 1/2 weeks. I can already read any word I want. That just wouldn’t happen in this amount of time for an English learner.

Khamla keeps me entertained. The other day I introduced him to Bethany. He pointed to her and said, “My wife is very beautiful.” I knew what he meant. So I just said, “I think my wife is beautiful too.” Last night, he pointed to his head and said, “I have a stomach ache.” It took me several seconds to figure out what he meant. Tonight we were going over the names of things in a hotel room. I pointed to a pillow. He said, “Towel,....ugh, no.......soap.” It took all I had not to laugh. Although we laugh at each other’s pronunciation all the time.

I think I can do this. I think I can actually relate to the people around me. I had my doubts for sure. But it has been so easy to enjoy the company of my new found friends. I can’t wait to meet more.

Sightseeing Weekend in Vientiane

2009-09-07T23:33:00.004-05:00

Bethany and I decided to spend a blazing hot Saturday outside seeing the sights of Vientiane. (I hope you sense mixed feelings.) I did want to see all of these great sights, but did not want to die from heat exhaustion.

This is the That Dam. It is considered that inside lives a mighty Nagas - a mythical dragon, the defender of the capital.

Ho Phrakeo was destroyed by Siamese aggressors in 1828 and was restored in 1936 as a museum of religious art. The building is surrounded with a gallery of bronze statues of Buddha in various poses.

Teaching the Guesthouse Staff

2009-09-02T09:26:00.000-05:00

Well, Bethany and I have had a good opportunity to come our way. We’re staying in the That Luang Villa Guesthouse for the next several weeks while in language school. And the other day, the owner of the guest house asked our team if we would be interested in teaching English to her staff. And of course, we were.

We’re not actually starting from scratch. She wants us to help her staff communicate hotel lingo in English. There are a couple of advanced speakers, a couple of intermediate speakers, and a couple of beginners. We’ll be teaching them in pairs so it will make for a fun time.

Bethany and I are excited to begin building relationships with Lao people. Lift us up during this time. We’ll be teaching 2-4 times a week and still be going to language school every day.

Russell

Laos House

2009-09-01T10:14:00.003-05:00

Russell and I took a trip to Pakse this weekend to look for housing. We knew of only one option before we got there, but were hoping to ask around, as best as we could, to see if there was anything else available. Housing and rental property is strictly by word of mouth, so it was a long shot. We asked around, but nothing else was available.

The one house we looked at was very clean and in a great location. It’s within walking distance to a night market, a bus station that takes you to Thailand, and a main, paved road. We got to meet with the landlords on Sunday afternoon. They don’t speak any English but were excited that we were in town and eager to meet us. They agreed to purchase a mattress for us, paint the entire inside of the house, and put up new light fixtures. Funny, when we were discussing paint options, the landlord went and got paint samples out of his truck. We picked it out right on the spot! Then about five minutes later, the painter showed up! It was hilarious.

The house has two bedrooms, one bath, a good size kitchen, and a common area, for a living room and dining room. It’s probably a little less than 1000 square feet, but it’s definitely big enough for the two of us. I can’t wait to get there to make it homey and cute.

It doesn’t have a yard--only a concrete courtyard. Russell is sad that he can’t grow a vegetable garden. Luckily, there happens to be a night market where you can get all the vegetables you can think of, well, almost.

The house isn’t completely furnished. It is only furnished with the beds and mattress, refrigerator and television, and wooden furniture for the living room. We’ll have to look for storage of some sorts. There are no closets in Southeast Asia, only wardrobes and the house has absolutely no storage. There is no storage in the kitchen, either, or plates or cups for storing. There will be a lot that we’ll have to purchase when we get there to make it livable.

We hope to move in in about 4-5 weeks. We will be in Vientiane for language study until then. We are so ready to be in one place and not living out of a suitcase! These are some before pictures of the house. After it is painted and homey, I’ll post some more.

Until then....

Bethany

What's for Dinner?

2009-08-28T06:22:00.004-05:00

I'm sure that all of our friends in the States are waking up this morning wondering what the Coopers had for dinner tonight. (I don't really think that, but I'm running out of interesting blog topics.) Well, we’re packing to go to Pakse for the weekend. Pakse is about 10-12 hours south of Vientiane, where we are now studying language. We’ll be taking a night bus equipped with beds at 8:30 p.m. And arrive between 7:00-9:30 a.m.

We’re going to look for a house which is kind of exciting. And I hope to have pictures for you when we get back, at least of the town where we’ll be living, if not a house(s).

All that to say we needed a quick bite to eat this evening. Lucky for us we currently live right next to the night market. It’s a dirt lot filled with vendors serving everything from grilled chicken and fish to sticky rice, fried bananas, and papaya salad. We went for grilled chicken, sticky rice, and spring rolls complete with two dipping sauces. All this for a little over $2. We brought it back to the room at our guest house, and voila, you have a cozy dinner for two.

Candlelight Language Center

2009-08-27T08:19:00.007-05:00

This is Candlelight Language and Vocational Training Center.

We come here every afternoon from 1:30-4:45 p.m. to study Lao.

This is our speaking and listening teacher, Tic.

This is our reading and writing teacher, Kham.

This is the road on which the school sits.

Back to School

2009-08-26T10:18:00.000-05:00

Well, I thought we were finished with school. But I was so wrong. We started studying the Lao language today. I had no idea what I was in for. It’s so funny to hear myself make sounds in a tonal, Asian language. There are two classes, six in each. And Bethany and I are in different classes. We were told that couples learn better when separated. I found out why. Tonight when we were studying at Joma’s bakery and coffee shop, Bethany was correcting everything I was saying. Now that’s a language learner’s dream. (Sense the sarcasm.) I will say that later on in the evening, we studied very well together. We thought we were the same in just about everything, but apparently not learning skills. She needs a partner to study and I have to be alone to study. As you may infer, that can create problems.

Another fun thing is we bought bicycles. Bethany got a red one and I got a bright orange one. We’re just riding around Vientiane like a local. Bethany is loving it. She always wanted to ride bikes in the States. It’s funny how he fulfills your every desire, just in a little different way than you had anticipated.

I’ll try to post pictures of the language school and our new bicycles tomorrow. Thanks for lifting us up. And thanks for all the precious emails. We need them.

Russell

One Week Down...

2009-08-23T10:38:00.006-05:00

I want to say thank you to all of you who lifted us up last week in our first week of teaching. I know we were both a little ne

rvous, not knowing what to expect and not knowing how much English the students spoke, but everything went very smoothly for us (besides the heat, of course). We both taught a total of 10 hours last week. Yay! Success! We had a wonderful experience in the Vietnamese classrooms and had some wonderful mentors to guide us through the process. I thought you might like to see us in action, so I’ve included some pictures of us while we were teaching last week.

We have learned a ton about teaching English as a foreign language in the past couple of weeks. Now, we get to do some language learning of our own, starting on Wednesday. Keep lifting us up as we continue this new adventure. I have a feeling that learning a new language won’t be easy.

We are finally in Vientiane, Laos, now and we will go to Pakse soon. We are one more step closer to the plan he has for us!

We love you all,

Bethany

First Day in Laos

2009-08-23T09:05:00.004-05:00

Well, we’re here. We made it to Vientiane, Laos today. (Everything seems to be a first in Laos.) Our flight was scheduled to leave at 8:30 a.m. Wouldn’t you know it was delayed for a few hours. We finally left at 11:30 a.m. We were picked up by Maurice Babcock, our country director whom I like very much. As soon as we stepped out of the airport, I knew there was something about Laos that I loved. And it was confirmed by our bus driver. He was just genuinely happy that we were there. And that’s not something I’ve felt since I’ve been in Asia. He just kept smiling and making us feel welcome. And it’s nice to feel welcome sometimes. There is no smog or traffic, unlike Hanoi. And it seems to be cleaner as well. Now it’s not the clean you’re thinking of. Clean is definitely relative.

One of our first orders of business was to get a cell phone. Maurice insisted on it. He wanted everyone to have a way to get in contact with him. The whole team rode a tuk-tuk to the store. They’re a lot of fun. And it’s our mode of transportation for the next 6 weeks. After we purchased our cell phone, we purchased a SIM card and number. We noticed that the cards were not all the same price some were 50,000 kip and some were as much as 300,000 kip. We asked what the difference was. Oddly enough, the more lucky numbers were more expensive. It gave us a taste of the culture and the things that matter here.

The last thing we did was visit a restaurant and coffee shop called Joma. It’s a chain here in Laos and caters specifically to Westerners. And we felt catered to. The food was amazing. It was definitely the best food I’ve had in Southeast Asia. It just made us feel at home. Speaking of, I kind of feel at home here in Laos. And it’s a good feeling. I still miss people I love. But I know his peace in Laos.

Russell

2009-08-18T02:25:00.003-05:00

Yes, this is exactly what it looks like and sounds like. Laundry in the bathtub. We have a laundry service at the hotel where we’re staying, but it’s kind of expensive to have them wash every piece of clothing that we own, so I’ve taken the bathtub route.

It’s definitely a group effort. I fill up the tub, pour in the Tide, rub the clothes together and let them soak. Then, I rinse them, Russell rings them and we hang them on a string with clothes pins that I found in the ELIC camp bins. Oh, the bonding we’re experiencing! Some of our teammates have asked us to borrow our “clothes-line” and clothes pins.

Any how, it gets the job done. Oh the experiences in South East Asia!

Bethany

First Day of Practicum

2009-08-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

Today was our first day to teach. We are teaching all this week at the Diplomatic University in Hanoi, Vietnam. This is for our practicum as we finish up our coursework for the TEFL certificate.

I have to admit, I was a little nervous. I have never really taught a lesson that I have created. But as the lesson began, I felt assured by his spirit. I had clarity of thought and speech and I know it was because of his goodness.

The topic this week is tourism. Today we focused tourism concerns found in the newspaper and learned how to respond to those concerns. We did a lot of group work to let the students practice speaking English as much as possible. We had a Vietnamese professor evaluating us. And she had many good things to say after the lesson was over.

I forgot to mention that each class period is two and a half hours long! That’s a lot of material to come up with. And I don’t want to complain, but none of these universities have air conditioning, and it’s blazing hot. Oh, yes, and the class began at 7:00 a.m.!

Okay. That’s all. I think I really like teaching.

Russell

Ha Long Bay

2009-08-13T08:38:00.004-05:00

Well, I’m a little late in telling you about last weekend. But better late than never. We went to Ha Long. It’s about a 3 hour drive east from Hanoi if you don’t stop. We, however, did stop....a lot. A van picked our whole crew up at the hotel at 7:15 a.m. on Saturday morning. The travel agent was there to make sure everything went just right. We loaded up luggage for our little overnight trip, and we were off.

About 15 minutes after starting, we stopped at the travel agent’s office and were motioned to get off the van. Apparently, we were to wait for another van that would take us all the way to Ha Long. We waited a few minutes and boarded another van. After 2 hours of picking up other passengers, we finally got on our way. Let me explain though that this van was a little bigger than a 15 passenger but it had about 25 very small seats that were very close together. And the air was not working well to say the least.

Oh well, we wanted to make the best of our little adventure. We were just excited to see the natural beauty of Ha Long Bay. After a 4 hour bus ride, after the 2 hours of picking up passengers, we arrived. And it was beautiful. I wasn’t expecting so many tourists. I don’t know why, but I had envisioned just our team at this remote, quiet place on the beach of Vietnam. I had that totally wrong. There were hundreds of tourists boarding boats for the weekend.

We boarded our boat and got settled in for the weekend. For $43 a person, it was a good deal. We had nice rooms. And the food was decent. The scenery was outstanding. And we were able to go kayaking in the ocean.

The only downside was the 4 hour bus ride back with 50 people on the bus and there was absolutely no air conditioning. It was in the heat of the day so it was really rough. But we made it back safe and sound.

Crossing Traffic in Hanoi

2009-08-12T09:41:00.000-05:00

Cinderella in Vietnamese

2009-08-07T09:53:00.005-05:00

Today was fairly uneventful, which I’m totally in favor of. Again, class was 6 hours long. We did get to plan a lesson and teach the other class members. And that was fun. I’ve got a long way to go as far as teaching is concerned.

We went back to Fanny’s tonight for ice cream. I still can’t get over that ice cream this good can exist in Vietnam. They had an ice cream buffet, all you can eat, for VDN 75,000 which is about $3.50. People were packed in there. And since Vietnamese don’t believe in forming lines, it made for a pushy evening.

After ice cream, we went to the night market. They had some really unique items for sale there at prices you wouldn’t believe, but most of it was clothing and jewelry and fake this and that. We did get to have fresh coconut juice though. The vendor took a butcher knife and whacked the top right off, stuck a straw in, and handed it to us. It’s not my favorite thing but it was a good cultural experience for $0.80.

Something I did find amusing was the taxi ride home. The driver was listening to the soundtrack of Disney’s Cinderella in Vietnamese. It was pretty hilarious.

We leave for Ha Long Bay tomorrow to get away for the weekend. It’s my birthday present. I’ll have to tell you all about it when we get back.

Forgot the Spoons

2009-08-06T08:58:00.001-05:00

Today was a laborious day. Not that it wasn’t interesting but it just seemed long. Our class covered how to teach speaking and listening. But 6 hours of any class can become an overload of information. Speaking of overload, Bethany and I have been reading for homework since the minute we stepped out of class this afternoon.

After a long day of learning education, I was happy for Bethany and I to have a long over due romantic dinner. We ordered Indian food and had it delivered to the hotel. We put on Jack Johnson on iTunes and had a quiet dinner in our room.

After our food came, I needed to get some bowls and utensils. I went up to the 6th floor where the hotel restaurant is located and asked a gentleman for the items I needed. He spoke broken English but we communicated the necessities none the less. After I got back to the room, I realized that I had forgotten spoons. So I hurried back up to the 6th floor and asked the same young man for a couple of spoons, said thank you, and started out the door. As I was walking away, I noticed he was studying. I asked if he was studying English and he was. So I began a short conversation about his studies, asked him his name, and gave him mine. He seemed to really enjoy the conversation and appreciative that I would take interest in him. And I did enjoy the conversation and I was interested.

It was nice to finally connect with someone from Vietnam. And I don’t think it was a coincidence that I forgot the spoons, which makes me really excited to look for good opportunities to share with others the joy I have in my heart.

Learning Teaching

2009-08-05T10:23:00.001-05:00

Today, we began learning how to teach. For the next four days, we will be specifically working on our Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) Certificate. To some degree, I feel like we’re finally being trained in what we came here to do. And it’s refreshing. I haven’t been in the classroom as a learner for a while, but today I realized that we, as human beings, are never going to stop learning. There’s so much that we don’t know. Hendricks puts it this way: “If you stop growing today, you stop teaching tomorrow.”

I think that Russell has felt a little overwhelmed by it all, but he is learning how to teach wonderfully. There’s just so much information to absorb, that I hope we remember it all. It’s very exciting learning new techniques and activities to implement in the classroom. It doesn’t make it less intimidating, though.

Tonight for dinner, we had pizza. It wasn’t Pizza Hut or Papa John’s, but at least it was somewhat normal. We went to a little grocery store type place that had international foods, such as M & M’s, which we purchased, and also a little restaurant that had Vietnamese style American food. We went with our new friend Adrienne. She’s from Pennsylvania and she’s hilarious and has been in Vietnam for the past nine years. I really like being around her. She’s a bundle of laughs.

Well, until we meet again....

Bethany

A Good Night's Sleep

2009-08-04T08:48:00.001-05:00

It’s amazing what a good night’s sleep will do for you. Today was so much better than yesterday. I was able to gain strength from the word and conversation in my quiet time this morning. I really, really love those alone times with him. Bethany and I began class at 7:30 a.m. like we have been all week. Today we talked about hot and cold climate cultures and theory of language learning. We begin a new course tomorrow in teaching English as a foreign language.

I had a sobering thought was brought to my attention today. Our professor said, “He doesn’t need you in Laos. He wants you in Laos so you can know him better.” Wow! That has so many implications. There is no pressure to make things happen unnaturally. He will accomplish what he intends to accomplish with or without me. But he is giving me the privilege of being apart of his work. And he wants me to know him more. And I want to know him more. It takes sacrifice on our part but the rewards are great.

A funny thing happened to me and Bethany this evening. We went to dinner at this restaurant we saw on the main street. We had never eaten there but the sign advertised Thai food, pizza, and coffee. Quite the combination, I know. The waitress brought us a menu and to our surprise and delight, it was in English. This we were not expecting. Since we couldn’t communicate through language, we just pointed on the menu to what we wanted which was fried noodles with chicken and vegetables. How clear can you get? We pointed to exactly what we wanted. And what did we get? Spaghetti with ham and cheese. What!? We just just laughed and ate. It would take too much effort to explain (in some form of sign language) that the order was wrong and then communicate what we really wanted.

Fun times here in Vietnam!

KFC to the Rescue!

2009-08-03T08:26:00.003-05:00

I know that I’ve already posted something today but it’s my blog so I can do what I want. As you read, today wasn’t so good. So I decided that Bethany and I needed some KFC. We don’t really like KFC that much, but it’s the only Western chain in Hanoi. Well, I love KFC now. It’s my new favorite. And it feels like home when I eat that fried chicken. Just thought you should know.

Our First Week

2009-08-03T01:38:00.001-05:00

Bethany and I have been in Hanoi for a week now. As we exited the airport, the first thing that struck me was the thick humidity. I could barely breathe the air. We started to load our luggage on a bus, and I was drenched in sweat within minutes. This may sound strange, but it was then that I knew I wasn’t home. The heat, the humidity, the smell of exhaust told me I wasn’t in Nashville any more.

After we checked in to our hotel, the first thing we learned how to do in Hanoi was cross the street. It may sound simple and it is. But the sight of the task is daunting. Traffic in Hanoi does not work like traffic in Nashville. There are very few stop lights and yet maybe twice as many vehicles. They have a fluid concept of traffic regulations. Traffic is mainly made up of thousands of motor bikes weaving in and out of each other. It looks like a large school of fish finding its way through the ocean. And yes, we learned to go through that school of fish. You just take a step of faith, walk out into the traffic at a slow steady pace, and sure enough, just like a school of fish, everyone makes their way around you. No one is mad that you’re in their way. In fact, this is how they expect you to cross the street. Again, it may sound simple, but if you were here, you would think otherwise. And crossing the street is vital to existing in Hanoi.

After crossing the street, we went to a grocery store of sorts. It’s smaller than most in the states but they have a lot of stuff packed in there for you to buy. Bethany and I shopped around for a few minutes and gathered some items to purchase. We then went and stood in line with everyone else. There was just one person in front of us. They were almost finished checking out at the register when out of no where came a teenage girl who cut in front of us. She just slid right in and set her stuff on the counter. I looked at Bethany in total disbelief. How could someone cut in line? That is completely rude. I thought at first she might have done it because we were foreigners. I also had an inclination to kindly push her out of the way to gain our place back in line. ( Which, come to find out, may have been acceptable.) Apparently, we had left to much space between us and the person in front of us and the space was free game. Who knew?! I’m sure this is just one of many frustrations I will find in Southeast Asia.

We have spent this week in cultural classes, finishing up assignments, visiting markets, trying new foods, and getting our bodies adjusted to the 12 hour time difference. Sounds like a mini vacation in Southeast Asia. Right? Not really. We were walking through an open air market that first day we arrived. The smell of raw meat in the heat was intense. The people didn’t seem to acknowledge that we (foreigners) were there, probably because most of them were napping in their stalls. Everything looked dirty and unsanitary. And I realized, “This is not a trip. I’m not leaving in two weeks. I live here.” I’m not going to lie. It’s been hard to process, especially today. I miss my friends and family. And quite frankly, I want to go home. I want to be comfortable in my own bed, in my own house. But I don’t think that He brought Bethany and me this far to go home. I’m not exactly sure what good things he has for us to do here. But I know He has a plan. It’s just hard to rest in that plan right now. Maybe it will be easier tomorrow.

We Leave Tomorrow

2009-07-26T18:18:00.000-05:00

Well, tomorrow is the day, and I’ve been anxious about it for the last several days. The more I learn of where we are going, the more daunting it sounds. The living conditions sound more difficult than I anticipated. Making friendships with local nationals sounds more difficult than I anticipated. Our lives are truly about to change forever and I’m not sure I’ve begun to process that until now.

This week of training in Greeley, CO has been physically and emotionally draining. Bethany and I l have been leaving our room at 7 a.m. and not returning until 8 p.m. This week was not planned with introverts in mind. Though I will say that all of the sessions have been very beneficial.

We’ve encountered a couple of obstacles this week. Bethany unexpectedly had to have a wisdom tooth removed. By divine providence, we found a dentist on Friday afternoon that would remove it in office. The procedure went smoothly. He just numbed her gums. He didn’t give her any laughing gas or anything. So she was coherent through the whole procedure. I couldn’t have handled that. The recovery process has been okay. This is the second day and she’s feeling a lot of pain.

Another obstacle is our monthly support. There seems to have been a slight miscommunication and we are $1,000 a month short in our monthly support. Now our father knew this before we even came here. So he knows and he will provide. Please join us in bringing these needs before him.

Speaking of bringing needs to him, continue to remember us in this change. It’s big. And it can be overwhelming. The good thing is that I know he has called us to this place. And he is faithful to complete what he has begun.

Next time I blog, Bethany and I will be in Hanoi, Vietnam. We leave tomorrow at 1 p.m. And will arrive about 30 hours later. Doesn’t that sound fun. I’ll try to take some pictures for everyone to see.

Russell

We've Only Just Begun

2009-07-20T22:26:00.003-05:00

Well, today marks the beginning of our journey to Laos. For those of you who may not know, our plans have slightly changed. Yes, we were scheduled to go to China, but the Father had other plans. Through a series of interesting events and encounters, we're on our way to Laos. Some of you might be saying, "Where in the world is Laos?" Well, it's just south of China, west of Vietnam, east of Thailand, and north of Cambodia.

Today we arrived in Greeley, Colorado to begin our teacher training with ELIC. It was an emotional day, and I'm sure the emotions are only beginning.

A lot of people have asked, "Are you excited?" Well, we're getting there. The more we hear about Laos, the more intriguing it becomes and the more, yes, "excited", we become.

Well, that's all for now. The intense training begins tomorrow! There is so much to learn about teaching.

For now...Bethany

Change in Plans

2009-05-22T08:26:00.004-05:00

Life is moving quickly for Bethany and me. We move out of our house in 7 days and we haven't pack a thing. We are, however, so thankful to have found renters. They are a young couple, and we will be able to rent the house to them partially furnished. June 8 we begin E-Team training. Bethany and I are leading a group of high school students to France for a service trip. When we come back to the States on July 2, we'll hit the ground running to visit family and friends. After two and a half weeks of visiting, we're off to Asia.

As most of you know, there has been a change in plans. Bethany and I will not be serving in China for the next two years. ELIC has asked us to join an effort in Laos. We have committed to serve four years. As planned, we will still be teaching in a university. As far as we can tell, we will be in southern Laos, at least for now.

Although we did not anticipate this change in direction, we have seen His hand guide us. And without the obedience to Him of friends and family partnering with us, it would be impossible for us to share His Good News with those who have never heard.

Also, Cofer's Chapel in Nashville, TN is having a service on Sunday, May 31 to commission our service to Him. I know that many of you are far away, but we would love for as many of our partners, friends, and family to join us. The service will begin at 10:00 a.m. The address is 3915 Franklin Pike, Nashville, Tennessee 37215.

Up to Speed

2009-05-06T13:09:00.006-05:00

Well, the last few days have been a little uncertain and stressful. But the fog is clearing. I just sent our paperwork for Laos to ELIC. They will send it off today. We are now at the same stage with all of the other ELIC teachers going to Laos this year. We should probably receive a word of approval or disapproval from the country in a week or two. . . hopefully.

Our departure date has not changed. We leave for Fort Collins, Colorado on July 20 to spend a week training at ELIC headquarters. On July 27, we leave for Hanoi, Vietnam. We will spend a month there studying for our TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) Certificate. We will begin a semester of formal language study in Laos at the beginning of September.

I'm particularly excited about language study because I've always wanted to learn another language. Hopefully, it won't be the last. And it will be nice to be able to communicate with the majority of people in Laos instead of a minority.

I spoke with Erin this morning to go over our financial profile for Laos. It's a good bit more. Instead of $15,000 in upfront cash for China, we'll need $21,000 in upfront cash to go to Laos. And instead of $2,300 in monthly pledges for China, we'll need at least $2,900 in monthly pledges to go to Laos. But I had a chat this morning with someone of extreme influence, and He said not to worry. So I'm not.

You know, life used to be normal. I'm not sure I'll know normal again for a long time, if ever. I try not to think about that because Bethany and I cling to normal. We love normal and routine. I guess that's where faith comes, and we will trust Him to lead the way from now on.

Chongqing Bound

2009-04-20T09:10:00.005-05:00

In August of 2008, Bethany and I decided to apply to teach in Asia with English Language Institute China (ELIC). After several weeks of forms, references, and interviews, we were accepted into the university program. ELIC is an organization that sends English speaking teachers to Asia. We have committed 2 years to the organization but are open to staying longer. As in most cultures, the need for college students to build healthy, meaningful relationships is great. It's no different in Asia.

ELIC has decided to place us in Chongqing, China. I had never heard of Chongqing until our ELIC coordinator, Erin, told us of our placement. This city has the largest metropolitan population in the world! There are 31 million people who live in Chongqing. That's not a city. That's a country! It's also a very mountainous city that's known as one of the three furnaces of China. It only sees lows of 40 degrees fahrenheit in the winter but has highs of 110 degrees fahrenheit in the summer. That may not sound that bad, but the humidity can make it unbearable.

Bethany and I will be teaching at Chongqing University of Posts and Telecommunications. The university has 20,000 students and is set on 3,800 acres. From what I can tell, it's a beautiful campus, and Bethany and I will will have an apartment there.

We're both very excited to go on this adventure. Although, I have to admit that we are very sad to leave our wonderful friends and family for such an extended period. Speaking of leaving, we depart for China on July 28. Between now and then, we will be very busy. We're finishing up fundraising, looking for a renter for our house, preparing to go to France for a few weeks (more on that later), and trying to spend as much quality time as we can with the ones we love.

"Living with Chopsticks" is just our way of saying that Asia will demand whole lot of adjusting on our part. It could be funny; it could be frustrating; it will probably be both. And we want to share it with you.

Russell