Tuesday, April 21, 2015

The Hottest Week of my Life

I have a love-hate relationship with fans.  Without them I could quite possibly die.  But they sure do make my life miserable.  The constant barrage of warm-hot air assaults my poor baby skin and causes it to resemble a dried up lake-bed.  My hair, not strong enough to resist the fan’s power, whips back and forth in an infinitely annoying manner.  My eyes, victims of constant air bombardment, lack the proper lubrication to make them happy.  The dust sails through the air at my face causing me to be attacked by all sorts of allergens and infectious diseases.  The never-ending hum-drum of the rotating propellers is enough of a lullaby to woo you into a deep slumber at night… OR the never-ending hateful din is enough to keep you from sweetly dreaming.  It’s always a toss-up.   

Then again, the fan sends enough air movement my way to lightly brush the sweat gathered in various locations, offering a brief yet satisfying respite from the heat waves of Hades’ realm.  By no means is it a minty arctic kiss from someone who’s just finished their York peppermint patty… but I’ll take it.

This week, more than all the weeks past, has chosen to be quite an inconvenient adversary.  I have tried to refuse its Trojan horse, a beautiful wooden structure depicting scenes of a tropical paradise but inside hiding adjectives such as “insufferable” and “unbearable”… But it seems you cannot refuse the weather.  So, we have needed to come up with ingenious battle strategies to combat this impressive foe!  Frequent ice water breaks are mandatory every day.  A sweat rag at the ready to clear one’s brow of unwanted condensation.  Cold showers both in the morning (to rinse off night-sweat) and in the evening (to rinse off day-sweat).  Our most impressive battle strategy this week came in the form of a small kiddie pool which we’ve conveniently set up in the middle of our living room.  The small oasis is large enough to accommodate several persons comfortably.  It is also doubling as quite the impressive work space—with chairs as our desks we are allowed to continue working throughout the hottest parts of the day in relative comfort.  Take that, oh Oppressive Heat!!

This week, despite the coma-inducing heat wave, I’ve managed to be quite the productive woman.  I’ve successfully navigated my way to a previously unknown location using public transport, I’ve conquered countless Skype and in-person meetings, I’ve nearly finished writing a large research paper for my Master’s class, I’ve half convinced various people to come back to Nicaragua to work with us at the Nehemiah Center, I’ve successfully deferred jury duty, I’ve cleaned my room and done some laundry, I’ve even shaved my legs.  Oh!  And I’ve signed a contract with the Nehemiah Center stating that I agree to act as the Program Coordinator for the SPIN study abroad program through this December.  Now I just need to renew my Partner Missionary contract with CRWM and fundraise me some pesos and I’ll be all set to go.  I mean stay. 

Which reminds me!  I, Kelsey Davies, am humbly asking everyone (yes you!) for your support in these upcoming months.  This petition is not solely for money—I am also asking for emotional and spiritual support through this time so that I can do my job well and finish out the year strong.  I cannot do this without you—you are my community and my family.  Please send me an email or Facebook me if you’re interested!    


Stay tuned!  More slightly annoying fundraising petitions and campaigns to follow... :)

Tuesday, April 7, 2015

The Glam of Easter


Sigh.  It’s over.  Life is back to normal…people working, children studying, blah blah blah.  If only Easter could last all year!

Unbeknownst to some, Easter actually kicks off 40 days prior when we have the annual competition of Lent, where we see who can temporarily sacrifice the most.  We have Palm Sunday, where we get to wave palm fronds around and sing fun songs.  We have Holy Week, which isn’t nearly as exciting as it should be… but then comes Good Friday!  Which is actually bad because Jesus died but also good because he died for us, or something like that.  Good Friday is a sad day where we go to church and sing funeral like songs and reflect on Jesus’ death.  Saturday is a filler day.  Then it’s Easter Sunday!!  The moment we’ve all been waiting for!  We wake up, put on our new Easter Sunday clothes (usually in a variety of pastel colors a la Spring Fashion).  We go to church where we sing some more joyous songs, everyone’s happy, we take Communion to celebrate in Jesus’ sacrifice, we probably sing some more, and then we go home.  Usually our families gather together for this super-Christian day and we all eat a fantastic feast, maybe even search for Easter eggs, delight in Peeps and chocolate eggs, and then crash into a happy sleep at the end of the day.

While I exaggerate, isn’t there some truth to what I’ve described?  Honestly, this is what I thought of Easter for much of my childhood.  Thankfully, I’ve come to a deeper realization about Easter in my adulthood.  Easter truly is the most inspirational and pensive time of year.  What other time of year to we all intentionally ponder, marvel and cry at the sacrifice of Jesus?  Easter is the pinnacle of both deep sadness and overwhelming hope.  But Easter is a journey, not a moment, in which we walk along in the grayness of death (Lent), lift high Jesus as our Savior (Palm Sunday), grieve at his tomb (Good Friday), and rejoice at his resurrection and his victory over the Enemy (Easter). 

Worldwide, this is a time of year where Christians become vocal about their faith, serious in what they believe, and not afraid to say it.  “This is what Christianity is all about,” we say.  Together, we take part in the Eucharist to communally proclaim Jesus as the bread of Life and the light of Truth.  We cry together, laugh together, sing together, believe together.  This is the Church.

But now what?  Easter is done.  The familiar rhythm of life has started up once more.  We are once again caught up in the wheel of surviving day to day life.  Soon, the Easter lilies in our vases will whither away and die.  Soon, the leftovers from Easter dinner will be eaten, our new Sunday clothes will be stored away, the Peeps all eaten.  Spring will turn to summer.  Time will pass and Easter will be nothing more than a faint memory… 


How do we keep Easter alive in our hearts?