I have been blessed with an awesome opportunity to teach computer programming in India this fall and to bring my family with me! All three of us are very excited. It is especially cool that our daughter, age 8, will be getting an international and cross-cultural education, even though she’ll miss the first two months of third-grade. My wife will be home-schooling her while they have fun exploring Indian life and culture.
We’re going to the City of Chennai (formerly Madras). I will be doing what I love–teaching software development–eight hours a day, five days a week to newly hired employees of a major financial firm. I’m looking forward to getting to know my students and learning about life and culture in India through them.
We’ve been preparing by reading books and watching videos about India, including some video clips of Bollywood dancing, which my daughter thought looked really fun.
She and my wife want to take an Indian dance class together.
I’ve always been intrigued by other cultures and languages. My wife and I met at an Iranian church where the services were conducted in Farsi. We both love traveling and meeting people from other countries. Before our daughter was born, we lived in Central Asia for a couple of years and had the opportunity to travel around the region. Our lives have been enriched by all we’ve experienced and learned from the people we’ve met.
This world is a big, beautiful place. But, unfortunately, it isn’t all beautiful. There are huge blots and smudges on what would otherwise be a masterpiece. There is war, poverty, oppression, hatred, and evil. My family and I are followers of Jesus. He has called us to stand against the evil. We do this wherever we are. Unfortunately, evil is everywhere. It’s here in America (just watch today’s news), and it’s in all the places where we have traveled and will travel.
Our lives have been so enriched by the love, wisdom, and insight we have received from our international friends. But we want to give as well as receive. One way we can do this is by practicing and passing on what we’ve learned about pushing back evil. One of Jesus’ most famous teachings on this is recorded in Matthew 5:3-10. Maybe we won’t put an end to evil by living like this, but imagine what the world would be like if we all had the attitudes expressed here:
Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn,
for they will be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they will inherit the earth.
Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they will be filled.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they will be shown mercy.
Blessed are the pure in heart,
for they will see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God.
Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
-New International Version of the Bible
Birds' Words 