Columbia Gorge and other sights

Back in Portland again. Some of our class room sessions were quite intense – we had to do a group project on case studies that took some extra time. Also, we were working on papers concerning our observations of the Chinese culture and what we believed were the dominant themes. These conclusions were drawn from all our field notes on movies about China, the Chinese Gardens and times spent at the Chinese churches. However, the leadership at World View tried not to stretch our brains too far. With this being such a beautiful part of the country, they planned a different kind of field trip for our last Saturday. Our group caravanned to the area known as “Columbia Gorge.” There are many waterfalls in this area, including the well known “Multnomah Falls.” It was a refreshing change to be outside, with great company and getting some physical exercise after being in the classroom all week. We sure appreciated the interest and care given to us by the staff of World View. I haven’t even mentioned how great our meals were. Joe and I tried to take walks everyday to keep the weight off. Mount Tabor, an extinct volcano and mountain park, was right behind World View, so we were able to get some great exercise and see some awesome scenery, including Mount Hood and the Portland skyline. After seeing so many beautiful sights, how can a person not fall down and worship the Designer and Creator of all things? “Within your temple, O God, we meditate on your unfailing love. Like your name, O God, your praise reaches to the ends of the earth; your right hand is filled with righteousness.” Psalm 48:9, 10

Ooops!

… Or ouch! That was more than papaya you were cutting. That’s a thumb. So, it is another trip to the doctor. Just recently I remembered that a year ago was when I was dealing with my knee injury and had to make a number of trips to the doctor. The knee sure has healed nicely. This thumb thing isn’t that bad – a good excuse to not have to wash dishes. (Thanks, Joe.) We recently received permission to use the Albion Estate pool, but they are presently painting it, so I am not really even missing swim time. I have faithfully cleaned and rebandaged it twice a day, and done my best to keep it dry. In a hot country like this with impure water we have to be a little more concerned about infections. I have a very good doctor who is extra careful. He checked it yesterday. A nice little scab is forming and it is well on its way to healing. Typing is a little challenging without the right thumb, but I am managing just fine. I am back to driving again. Most of my regular cooking and cleaning have gone on as usual, except Joe is cleaning up my messes. (Thanks, again, Joe.) And, thank you, Lord for your care in all the details of our lives. (I will be back to blogging about our summer very soon!) “My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.” Psalm 73:26

Portland Chinese Gardens

"Only by contemplating nature, can truth be found." This was a quote in a brochure about the Portland Chinese Gardens. Our group from World View scattered throughout the Gardens, armed with notebooks and cameras. You could see people scribbling away in their notebooks and discussing what they were seeing with their partners. The idea was to record observations of what we were seeing through the grid of the 12 signal systems of communication. Proposition 11 in "Creating Understanding" states:
"All human communication occurs throught the use of twelve signal systems." These are: verbal, written, numeric, pictorial, artifactual, audio, kinesic, optical, tactile, spatial, temporal, olfactory. Any observation from the Chinese Gardens would fit into one or more of these signal systems. For example, there were 2 banners at the entrance of each building with six Chinese characters - these would be: written(the Chinese characters) numeric (the number of banners, number of characters), pictorial(the banners themselves), tactile (made of smooth metallic)and spatial(the location of the banners). There is much that could be learned about any culture and its beliefs through these signal systems.

By the way...

In case you hadn't noticed, this blog is like a journal of our travels over the summer. To follow it chronologically, you have to scroll down to an earlier entry (August 26) to follow the progression and then, go up. Hope this isn't too confusing for you. There were so many interesting facets to our trip, that I am trying to do it chronologically, but the blog format makes it a little difficult. Anyhow, every few days, I will make another entry and eventually we will catch up to the present. While I (Terri) am doing the writing, Joe took most of the pictures. One of these days, I need to learn how to add captions to identify the pictures. In the mean time, happy reading!!

Portland, Land of the Green and Home of the Different

After a great day at the coast and visiting some more good friends, Kameel and Rachel Kilada, we began our course at World View Institute on cultural understanding. It was intense, but immensely practical. They had a good balance between class room sessions and “field trips.” The interaction with fellow CrossWorlders was so beneficial and mutually enriching. One of the main concepts we were taught was the “12 signals system” or “12 languages of culture.” We went to several places in the Portland area to make observations and take extensive field notes using this 12 signals system. Later on, we went into studying the culture of China from many different angles. This included a trip to the “Portland Chinese Gardens.” We especially appreciated the teaching of Dr. and Mrs. Don Smith, who have developed this unique approach to learning cultures. Many special relationships were developed through the month with staff members of World View and other Cross World missionaries. The principles we learned should revolutionize how we do our ministry. More about this next time...

"You Do All Things Well"

"You Do All Things Well" by Chris Tomlin

Mountain maker
Ocean tamer
Glimpses of you
Burn in my eyes
The worship of heaven
Fills up the skies

You made it all
Said "Let there be"
And there was
All that we see
The sound of Your voice
The works of Your hands
You do all things well
You do all things well

Star creator
Wind breather
The strokes of Your beauty
Brushed through the clouds
Light from the heavens
Touching the ground

Imagination runs wild
And breathes the breath of life
Across the fields
Across the miles

Traveling...part 2

Traveling… Part 2

It seemed like the trip to Oregon was perfect. When we got to the airport, our luggage arrived and we went to pick up our rental vehicle – they did the usual upgrade (for free) and we got a really nice Jeep Compass SUV, instead of an economy car. Following excellent directions to the World View Center, we settled in for the evening. It was hard sleeping past 5 AM (We were still on Eastern Time which was 3 hours later.) So, we got up and headed out to the Pacific coast. It was so pleasant driving down the highway and stopping occasionally to check out the trees and local scenery. Oregon is such a beautiful state with the mountains to the east and ocean to the west.
Our plans were to rendezvous with Bill and Glenda Gray at Starbucks in Lincoln City. From there, we proceeded to a nice park right at the ocean and had a picnic lunch. Terri and Glenda were roommates at Florida Bible College. Plus, we worked together at Arvada Christian School in Colorado. The last time we had seen Bill and Glenda was in 1980 when we moved away from Colorado. Although we have kept in touch through letters, phone calls and e-mail, we had not seen each other in “donkey years.” (Guyanese expression!) What a wonderful visit we had. It felt like old times. We sure appreciate the special friends God has blessed us with. After our visit with Bill and Glenda, we made our way north along the coast. The Pacific Ocean is so different than the Atlantic. We could not get over how clear and blue the water was. It was magnificent. Chris Tomlin’s song “You Do All Things Well” gave wonderful background music for the beautiful sights we were seeing.