Scotish Thoughts

This has certainly been a very active week in Scotland, so I thought I'd take a minute to share just a few thoughts from my experiences thus far.

-I have always thought that the idea of the drunken Scotsman was a horrible stereotype. It appears that I was wrong. So far I've been kissed by a drunk man (on the cheek thankfully) who kept trying to usher me into a bar to let him buy me a drink, invited by a drunk man to go to church with him last Sunday (sadly, a day late) who then gave me an standing invitation to stay with him whenever I'm in Inverness.

-Scotland is a lot like the south. Everything's fried, everyone enjoys a drink, they speak with an accent that few other Britain's can understand, they have words that they always use that probably aren't really words, and everyone's a Christian.

-I've had haggis. Haggis is a sheep's stomach stuff with all kinds of goodies. It sounds gross, it looks gross, it even feels gross in your mouth, but surprisingly, it's not that bad. Though, the gas it makes you produce afterwards is something to be proud of.

-Seriously, everything's fried here. Haggis is fried, fish is fried, candy bars are fried. I'm pretty sure they have steamed vegetables, but they fry them afterwards. Scots should be a lot fatter than they really are.

Today is my last day in real Scotland. I head out to Edinburgh tomorrow, but that no more represents the whole of Scotland than New York represents all of America. These have been some of the most interesting days I've had in my 24 years so far.

I miss you all and can't wait for each of you to take me out to eat when I get back, one at a time.

Where in the world is David Fisher?

Sorry for the extended blog absense as of late. It's been hard to find free internet and I'm not a big fan of paying £4 an hour for it. That's close to $7, which is just ridiculous. So, just in case the problem persists I thought I'd give you an idea of where I'll be in the next week.

April 25-26: Stirling
-The home of William Wallace.
-I wonder if they'll look at me strangely if I paint my face blue and keep screaming freedom everywhere I go.
-I really hope that that's the norm in this place.

April 27-28: Drumnadrochit
-A town in the Scotland Highlands.
-Just a twenty minute walk from Loch Ness.
-I'll find him. No worries.

April 29-May 2: Edinburgh
-I have one week to figure out how to pronounce the name of this city correctly.
-I've heard upwards of 7 different ways so far.
-I'm sure the cities nice too, but I'm more excited about hearing people say it's name.

A Stupid American Mindset

One thing that keeps standing out to me is that no matter where I go, people are all pretty much the same. Sure, there are different customs and cultures on the whole, but if you look at the individual you'll likely always find people going about their everyday business, talking to friends and family, getting pissed off when things don't go their way, and trying to figure out why they're here on the Earth (or vehemently ignoring that question altogether).

With this in mind, one of the American mindsets that's keeps bothering me is just how much American mindsets bother me. I can see Egyptians doing nonsensical things and think, "they need to hear about Jesus." But if I see Americans around me doing stupid things, I just get annoyed; especially if that person claims to be a Christian.

The only real difference I've seen between Egyptians and Americans is that one is a lost people who think they're going to Heaven because they're Muslim and another is a lost people who think they're going to Heaven because they go to church and said a prayer or got baptised. An honestly, if your focus is going to Heaven, you've missed the point anyway. So, instead of seeing this in my own people and sharing and showing the Gospel to them, it's easy to enter into a thought pattern sounding like, "I can't wait to get out of this place so I can start loving people for Jesus."

One of my favorite people I've met on my travels so far is an Egyptian named George. He's a college student with an absolutely amazing heart. When he graduates in a few weeks, he plans to do mission work. He's not moving to another part of the world, he's getting an apartment right in Cairo. I was taken aback many times and challenged many more time by this new friend of mine and his heart for his own people. He sees the pattern of darkness in Cairo and rather than try to escape it, he wants to spend his life right there spreading light on that city.

So I'm in a weird spot right now (which is where I seem to stay). I'm loving getting to see all of these amazing places, but the more I see all of these unbelievable things, the more my heart turns to my own country and my desire to see American turn to Jesus. I have no idea what my future holds. I've given up on the idea of having a huge revelation in which the Lord tells me what I'm going to do for the rest of my life. He has always revealed things to me one step at a time and until He starts doing it a different way, I'm going to assume that's what He'll continue doing. But, for the time being, I think my calling is to my own country. When I get home, I plan to stay there. (Of course, it's a big country, so "there" could still be just about anywhere.)

Thoughts From Across the Pond

Is it weird that I felt more comfortabl in the middle east than I do in Europe. I'm not sure what it is, but I think I just miss the talkative people. Even though they typically were wanting to sell me stuff, it's always a good thing to have someone want to talk to you.

It's been a weird couple of days and I think one lesson is standing out: people are more important that places. I'm getting to see these amazing things right now. Today alone I got to see inside of St. Paul's Cathedral, walk down the River Thames and Tower Bridge, and explore the Tower of London. These things were all awesome, and I enjoyed getting to see them, but none of them really matter without people. I definitely miss conversation and familiarity. Comfort is definitely nice for me.

But a few thoughts come to mind over this. First of all, I'm not alone. Jesus has proven time and again that He's right here with me. I have my Creator and Savior right here next to me and I'm not even going out of my way to lean upon Him right now.

Also, I think I'm learning that I find my worth far too much in having people around me. People are good to have, and necesary, but I can't find my value in the number of people I have around me.

And finally, the Lord has given me the money and the means to come to the other side of the world. Maybe it's my turn to do something. He might not put everything into my lap. If I want to meet people, I'm going to have to go out of my way to make it happen.

These are just a few thoughts going through my head. I'd iron them out more, but I'm paying for internet, so no time to proofread. Prayer would be appreciated.

Those Crazy Kids

I think one of the coolest things I've noticed since I got into this country is the behavior of the kids. Kids are kids no matter where you go. It seems that childlikeness is intercultural. Whether I'm at Falls Park on a Sunday afternoon or in Garbage city, I see kids playing and paying very little attention to their surroundings.

That's not to say that these kids don't have issues. Some of them are playing in the streets because if they went home they'd be beaten, and others have no home to go to at all. But when they're really just being kids, there is no difference in how they act. From the American kids to the diplomat kids to the street kids, they all play the same.

I guess this is where I'm supposed to add the deep spiritual significance to this about having childlike faith and whatnot, but I'm not going to. Play with this and let it speak to you in whatever way the Lord let's it speak to you. And please, share your thoughts. But I just thought I'd share a short observation.

Egyptian Thoughts

I thought I'd give a brief glimpse into the grand scheme of my past week in Egypt. If I had to describe it in one word, the first one to come to mind would be uncomfortable. I'm just a sheltered, germaphobic, middle class white boy. It's uncomfortable for me to be in a third world country.

The bathrooms aren't as clean as I'm used to. The public bathrooms form a demonic force, the likes of which I've never seen. The motel room I stayed in this past weekend was unlike anything I've ever seen as far as crampedness and dirtiness. I don't understand the local language. The drivers are insane! Some roads have lines, but no one uses them. What would be a three lane highway for most is a 6 or 7 lane over here. There are no crosswalks, and people are hit by cars very often. So yeah, uncomfortable.

But, I feel like after a week, I've hit sort of a stride and am starting to feel a little more comfortable with my surrounding. God is definitely destroying my fear of getting dirty. And I'm glad He's doing this, because, honestly, you have to get dirty to love people. The smaller my personal bubble becomes, the closer I can get to people.

But overall, this has been an amazing week. I've met some godly folks who are out here doing a great work for the Lord, and I've definitely had my eyes opened to a world that I had ignored for so long. I've gotten to see the richest and poorest parts of Egypt and it's like night and day. What's sad is that there aren't too many Egyptians in the rich part. It's mostly foreigners.

One thing that's really shining through to me is this: Jesus isn't just ours. When Jesus was dying on the cross, He wasn't just thinking about Americans. I think, whether we like it or not, we tend to monopolize Jesus, making Him just ours. I know I do. But these Egyptians were just as fresh on His mind while He was on this earth as we were. We're not the only important people. God doesn't need us to reach the world. He allows us to reach the world for Him.

So, as you can tell by this hodgepodge of thoughts, there's a lot of stuff on my mind right now. Keep praying for me. God is definitely working on me on this trip. I can't wait to see what's coming up over the next few weeks.

My Mountain Top Experience

I spent this past weekend in a place called Dahab. It's sort of a beach town off of the Red Sea and was a very different and really fun experience. Dahab was on the Asian side of Egypt, so technically I've had my feet on four different continents in the past week, which is pretty crazy for a one continent guy such as myself.

Last night, my buddy Hans and I left Dahab got on a bus at 11 PM to head towards St. Catherine, which is where Mount Sinai is located. We pulled up around 1:30 and spent the next three and a half hours or so hiking to the top of the mountain. It was such a rough hike that revealed to me just how little I've been working out over the past few months. I had to take a breather more times than I'd like to admit, so I'll just say it was twice.

It was freezing and windy towards the top. There were a few moments where I almost lost it and took a tumble, but thanks to my cat-like reflexes, I was fine. Beduins live on the mountain, so we stopped at a tea huts that they run and had a couple of cups of Beduin tea to warm us up and they even gave us some Beduin bread as well, which is kind of like pita bread, only more amazing. I was actually pretty impressed with the little tea huts all over the mountain. Not one of them had a set up of Ten Commandment key chains.

We rented a couple of blankets to protect us from the wind and rain, then we set off for the top. When we got there, we found a spot that we thought we'd be able to see the sunrise from and prayed together to thank the Lord for allowing us to see this unbelievable place. We read a little bit of Exodus and then were then able to put that bread to good use as we took communion together. It was such an unbelievable experience.

And to top it all off, I got to see one of the most beautiful sunrises I've ever seen in my entire life. The clouds were just right to reflect the beauty of it all.

So I got to spend my Easter morning with the Lord and a good friend on one of the most important places on this earth in regards to the formation of my faith. It was here that the Lord revealed Himself in such a corporeal way that Moses was marked by His precense. It was here that God gave us His law. That law was the law the revealed to us our need for a Savior and set the stage for Jesus to come to us as a man, die for our sins and conquer sin and death. I'm so blessed that I got to rest in the heaviness of that. I genuinely can't believe that the Lord blessed me in this way. While I do miss getting to see my family for Easter, this is by far the most unforgettable Easter of my life. I'm so blessed. I love my Savior and Lord!