laupäev, juuli 31, 2004
Hints and Whispers
Today there was no rain until the afternoon, so we were able to tour some of the historic sites the kids have really wanted to show Mary-Kay, like the observatory, Angel's Bridge and the ruins of the dome church, which was constructed in the 1300s and has warning in Estonian and English, but the English came across with unintentional humor: "Warning, building is liable to fall down."
Walking around Tartu and seeing the sights of the city have really given us a love for Tartu. It is a beautiful city with a rich history and seems almost idyllic in many ways. Yet I know that I am here as The Salvation Army and hand-in-hand with sharing the gospel, I am here to serve those in need. But can there be people in need in an idyllic place?
Of course I know the answer to that question even as it's being asked, but we have yet to discover our role here. What we will do has not been obvious; we're still watching and listening. Yet there are hints and whispers that seem to be just out of range, slightly beyond my grasp. It's like the conversations in Estonian I overhear where I can pick out a word or two, but still don't know the topic being discussed. I have no doubt I'll figure it out in time, but the waiting isn't easy.
What gives me great hope is that I don' feel at all foreign here. I've been amazed at how I've taken in stride not being understood, not understanding what another says, figuring out the baffling traffic signs, discovering at the grocery that liha (meat) is not a sufficient definition because it could be from any number of animals,or having to do currency conversion from krooni to dollars in my head. After only three weeks, Tartu feels like home; it is the place God wants me to be.
And so I embrace each day as an opportunity for discovery, trusting that just as my Estonian improves gradually every day, so will my understanding of the work God wants to do in Tartu. I'm willing to be patient.
--Tim
Walking around Tartu and seeing the sights of the city have really given us a love for Tartu. It is a beautiful city with a rich history and seems almost idyllic in many ways. Yet I know that I am here as The Salvation Army and hand-in-hand with sharing the gospel, I am here to serve those in need. But can there be people in need in an idyllic place?
Of course I know the answer to that question even as it's being asked, but we have yet to discover our role here. What we will do has not been obvious; we're still watching and listening. Yet there are hints and whispers that seem to be just out of range, slightly beyond my grasp. It's like the conversations in Estonian I overhear where I can pick out a word or two, but still don't know the topic being discussed. I have no doubt I'll figure it out in time, but the waiting isn't easy.
What gives me great hope is that I don' feel at all foreign here. I've been amazed at how I've taken in stride not being understood, not understanding what another says, figuring out the baffling traffic signs, discovering at the grocery that liha (meat) is not a sufficient definition because it could be from any number of animals,or having to do currency conversion from krooni to dollars in my head. After only three weeks, Tartu feels like home; it is the place God wants me to be.
And so I embrace each day as an opportunity for discovery, trusting that just as my Estonian improves gradually every day, so will my understanding of the work God wants to do in Tartu. I'm willing to be patient.
--Tim
reede, juuli 30, 2004
Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head
I am trying to answer some of the FAQs that we keep hearing over and over again. What is the weather like here? It is like summer in Maine. "If you don't like the weather, wait a minute!" -- it keeps changing. At the moment it is pouring down buckets. We were told that it rained for a solid week in Tallinn (the capital city) the week before we arrived, and that the streets were flooded. We're glad that it has only sprinkled some our first three and a half weeks in Estonia, so we've really been able to walk around a LOT.
But today it's raining like crazy, and it's really beautiful. The way the windows are made here, they open at the top on a slant, so even though they're open no rain is coming in. We do have the windows on our balcony closed, though, or that would be a flood! Rain means we can't really do laundry today, because we have no dryer but the clothes line, but we'll live!
I looked out the window and saw the rain pelting our neighbor's Mercedes Benz. We wonder a lot about him. His car is parked on the only area that has paving instead of pebbles. And there is a security camera trained on his car. I just looked out again, and the car is gone! So I've once again missed my chance to see the mystery man who lives in our building.
I hope I didn't sound too negative in yesterday's post. I didn't mean to. We really do absolutely LOVE our apartment! Even though we knew it would be two bedrooms, it is actually much larger than we had envisioned. We had seen photos, and of course only so much of a room can fit in a snapshot! We are really in love with the location, which is right in the center of town. We do have a neighbor who loves to play music with a pulsing bass beat very loudly at times, but I'm sure that the neighbors below us sometimes are irritated by Elizabeth running around.
There is an old lady who lives upstairs (apt. 48, we are in 38) who is often looking and even leaning out the window when we come home. She is the Mr. Breen, Mr. Smith, Grandpa Reny of the building -- nosy old folks who make sure everything's okay. We brought her some food our first day here. A missionary friend had gone to her apt. by mistake when looking for us, and told us she was sick. We figure she is a good person to get to know!
What can I say about Tartu? It is such a mix of the old and the new. There are many old wooden buildings which are so lovely. And also modern mini-skyscrapers. Go to http://www.weather.ee/tartu and you will see for yourself! We spent a lot of time at this web site before we came, because it has a live picture of the Town Hall Square. (Click on the picture.)
Here are some pictures that include Chris. You have to click on them to really see them.
http://www.kolgata.ee/galerii/thumbnails.php?album=34
http://www.kolgata.ee/galerii/thumbnails.php?album=35
Kapten Evelyn Clark
Tartu
But today it's raining like crazy, and it's really beautiful. The way the windows are made here, they open at the top on a slant, so even though they're open no rain is coming in. We do have the windows on our balcony closed, though, or that would be a flood! Rain means we can't really do laundry today, because we have no dryer but the clothes line, but we'll live!
I looked out the window and saw the rain pelting our neighbor's Mercedes Benz. We wonder a lot about him. His car is parked on the only area that has paving instead of pebbles. And there is a security camera trained on his car. I just looked out again, and the car is gone! So I've once again missed my chance to see the mystery man who lives in our building.
I hope I didn't sound too negative in yesterday's post. I didn't mean to. We really do absolutely LOVE our apartment! Even though we knew it would be two bedrooms, it is actually much larger than we had envisioned. We had seen photos, and of course only so much of a room can fit in a snapshot! We are really in love with the location, which is right in the center of town. We do have a neighbor who loves to play music with a pulsing bass beat very loudly at times, but I'm sure that the neighbors below us sometimes are irritated by Elizabeth running around.
There is an old lady who lives upstairs (apt. 48, we are in 38) who is often looking and even leaning out the window when we come home. She is the Mr. Breen, Mr. Smith, Grandpa Reny of the building -- nosy old folks who make sure everything's okay. We brought her some food our first day here. A missionary friend had gone to her apt. by mistake when looking for us, and told us she was sick. We figure she is a good person to get to know!
What can I say about Tartu? It is such a mix of the old and the new. There are many old wooden buildings which are so lovely. And also modern mini-skyscrapers. Go to http://www.weather.ee/tartu and you will see for yourself! We spent a lot of time at this web site before we came, because it has a live picture of the Town Hall Square. (Click on the picture.)
Here are some pictures that include Chris. You have to click on them to really see them.
http://www.kolgata.ee/galerii/thumbnails.php?album=34
http://www.kolgata.ee/galerii/thumbnails.php?album=35
Kapten Evelyn Clark
Tartu
neljapäev, juuli 29, 2004
From Aston to Estonia
Three weeks ago today, we moved into our new home here in Tartu, Estonia. It is a two-bedroom apartment, and while we have lived in apartments and not houses for most of our 15 years of marriage, this is our first time doing it with three kids, one of them being a teenager! After much lengthy and intense negotiations, we have settled -- at least for now -- on me, Tim, and baby Peter in the big bedroom; Chris in the smaller bedroom; and Elizabeth in the living room.
Auntie Mary-Kay is here visiting us this week, so she is also sharing the living room with Elizabeth!
Tim is busy taking classes in Estonian language and culture full-time for three weeks. The kids and I have been learning by attending an Estonian vacation Bible school, and meeting American and Estonian kids here.
What has God been saying to me in our short time here? (Much more important than our sleeping arrangements, eh!) First, Nehemiah 2:11-16. This is very much what we are doing right now. "I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do." We are still listening and watching and praying. Our hearts are quite drawn toward the homeless and mentally ill, especially after our three years in Chester.
Second, Judges 6-8. "The Lord is with you ... mighty warrior ... go in the strength you have ... I will be with you ... not boast against me ... anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave ... I will save you." We feel, along with Gideon, that we are "the least" and sometimes are overwhelmed by the mission of opening the work of The Salvation Army in Tartu, Estonia. But this causes us all the more to rely on God.
One of the things that has occurred to us is that we both feel strong in our language skills. We have both done a lot of literary and editorial work for the Army, and this is something we really enjoy and think we are good at. Now we are in a country where even the little toddlers speak better than we do, and we find that our strengths count for nothing. For some reason, God wants to humble us even more than He did during our three years in Chester (where we felt we were taking a test we had not studied for!). So be it. It feels a bit like we're playing "how low can you go?" and so we bend still further down!
All this has been filling my head for our three weeks here. Congratulations if you have read this far! Next time, I'll include more of Tartu and less of me.
Kapten Evelyn Clark
Tartu, Eesti
Auntie Mary-Kay is here visiting us this week, so she is also sharing the living room with Elizabeth!
Tim is busy taking classes in Estonian language and culture full-time for three weeks. The kids and I have been learning by attending an Estonian vacation Bible school, and meeting American and Estonian kids here.
What has God been saying to me in our short time here? (Much more important than our sleeping arrangements, eh!) First, Nehemiah 2:11-16. This is very much what we are doing right now. "I had not told anyone what my God had put in my heart to do." We are still listening and watching and praying. Our hearts are quite drawn toward the homeless and mentally ill, especially after our three years in Chester.
Second, Judges 6-8. "The Lord is with you ... mighty warrior ... go in the strength you have ... I will be with you ... not boast against me ... anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave ... I will save you." We feel, along with Gideon, that we are "the least" and sometimes are overwhelmed by the mission of opening the work of The Salvation Army in Tartu, Estonia. But this causes us all the more to rely on God.
One of the things that has occurred to us is that we both feel strong in our language skills. We have both done a lot of literary and editorial work for the Army, and this is something we really enjoy and think we are good at. Now we are in a country where even the little toddlers speak better than we do, and we find that our strengths count for nothing. For some reason, God wants to humble us even more than He did during our three years in Chester (where we felt we were taking a test we had not studied for!). So be it. It feels a bit like we're playing "how low can you go?" and so we bend still further down!
All this has been filling my head for our three weeks here. Congratulations if you have read this far! Next time, I'll include more of Tartu and less of me.
Kapten Evelyn Clark
Tartu, Eesti
