Traveling Travesties Part 3

I still can’t believe that it is the end of November. This will be my final blog about the summer. One more trip to that infamous JFK Airport. When we called the airline, they said the flight was on schedule. We have heard that line one too many times! What would we find there? For starters, it was the longest check in line I have ever been in. We must have been in line for over two hours, and we came 3 hours early. The flight was supposed to depart at 10 PM. It was already postponed two hours. Kim and Bekah joined us for one last snack at Mc Donald’s, then they left us. Security was rather chaotic with people going on many different flights – it was past midnight before we got through. Then, we made the trek to our gate and sat down for what would probably be a long night. Finally, we got the call to board the plane. They actually took us on a small shuttle bus out to the tarmac where we boarded. This was well after 2 AM. After a long wait in the plane on the tarmac, an announcement came that there was too much luggage and some would have to be off loaded. Uh oh! We could only imagine what that would mean at the other end of this trip. I think we finally departed from New York around 4 AM. They actually served us a regular meal – I don’t even remember what it was, but I was hungry and ate it up. We touched down in Guyana around 10:00 AM. There were many unhappy faces at the luggage claim area, because hardly any luggage arrived. We received one out of four suitcases. Some people received none, and I felt sorry for them because they were only here for 1 or 2 weeks, and had no clothes or other necessary items. It isn’t like you can run over to a local Wal-Mart and get a couple of items cheaply. Two of our suitcases arrived two days later, but the last one took over 2 weeks and many phone calls and extra trips to the airport. The last leg of our trip involves crossing the Berbice River by ferry. This trip can take many hours if the boats aren’t working well. It had been particularly bad in the two months we were gone. Surprisingly, we got across in a pretty reasonable amount of time. I hope I don’t have to fly any airplanes again for a long time!! However, we still have to cross the river on the ferry if we want to come to Georgetown, and it is running slower than ever!! (Alas, our “traveling travesties” will continue, but we won’t talk about them again!) Finis.
P.S. Our most recent ferry crossings involved waits of 4 hours one way and 3 hours the other. Thank God for Church's Fried Chicken(restaurant) and good books!!

More Wedding Pictures

The complete Potter family

Three-fold toast by Joel, the best man

Don't they look happy?

God's blessings on the wedding!!

The proud parents!

The Wedding Day

The big day had arrived! All of us were very concerned when the day before the wedding began with clouds and rain. It was rainy and chilly the whole day. We prayed for good weather as the reception was going to be outside. It could be squeezed in to the fellowship hall, but outside would be so much nicer. The Lord blessed us with bright sunshine, cooler temperatures and ideal weather. It could not have been nicer. All of us scurried around doing last minute errands, and the special moment finally arrived. I felt quite emotional during this wedding – my baby getting married. It was a beautiful ceremony with an unusual variety of music: beautiful trumpet/piano duet by Christine's grandparents; a really neat Peter, Paul and Mary song by Joel and Bekah; a beautiful rendition of "Ruth's Song" by Christine, her mom, Vickie and sister, Rebekah. Jack, our 2 ½ year old grandson, was the ring bearer. He got a little restless and dropped his ring pillow a couple of times, but did very well, all things considered. The wedding had many nice personal touches. The outside reception was so enjoyable with many delicious finger foods, pastas and desserts. It seemed like no one wanted to leave. The newly weds had a hard time slipping away as there were so many people to see. We praise the Lord for another landmark event in our family. God has blessed us so much. The hardest part was knowing we would all be going separate ways, some far away from all the rest!

Wedding Week Part 2

Our main responsibility was planning and preparing the rehearsal dinner for around 35 people. Since Jon and Christine requested a barbecue, we planned a menu of steak, chicken, various salads and make-your-own ice cream sundaes. It was fun putting this together, but it had its challenges – such as finding enough party stores with helium balloons – there was some kind of helium shortage and we had to drive way out of the way to get enough balloons to decorate with. What lengths we parents are willing to go to for our kids!! It was so much fun when Bethany came with the boys and we got to spend a little more time with our precious grandsons. What a blessing that her mom, Lynn Stroud, was able to come, too. She did her best to keep the boys cared for when Joel and Bethany were both occupied. Also, she was a great help with the barbecue, because Joe had to run back and forth from the rehearsal to the grill. All in all, the meal appeared to be a great success and there was plenty of food for everyone. Special friends and family members began converging on Dix Hills, NY for the big day.

Wedding Week Part 1

Jon and Christine’s wedding was 7 days away. There was much to pack into just a few days. First, we got to spend a little time with Bekah and her roommate, Kim. It was so good to go to church with Bekah and see her “on the job.” Then, we had the delightful blessing of a meal together with all 3 kids, plus Christine and Kim. We celebrated our anniversary and Joel’s birthday, then, drove out to Long Island where we would spend the week. Christine’s family made us feel very welcome, and we had the wonderful opportunity of staying with her grandparents for the week. Our suitcases arrived, too, which was a relief, as I only had one extra set of clothes to wear. It was fun spending time with the soon to be married couple. We made ourselves available to run errands and help out in any way we could. In the midst of the hustle and bustle of preparations, we even got to go to the beach with them. It was beautiful. (See the picture of Fire Island Lighthouse above.) Another special activity was celebrating our 33rd anniversary and dinner by the harbor in North Port Village. The time was passing so quickly. Soon, many friends and family would be converging for the big event.

Traveling Travesties Part 2

I never thought it would take me this long to recap our summer trip. Ever hear the saying “Life is what happens while you are making other plans.” There are so many things going on in addition to daily routines. Another saying is “Expect the unexpected.” Well, enough clichés. I shared previously about our awesome time with Joel and family in Missouri. "All good things must come to an end." (Oops, another cliche.) Back to the airport. What an unusual day for the Potters with Joel traveling on one airline, Jon traveling on another one, and us a third one, all converging on NY. For the second time in a month, we found out that Saturday is a bad time to travel to or from JFK. Why isn't that information published somewhere? Our trip looked to be more challenging than Joel’s as we were changing planes twice –first in Chicago and second in Washington, D.C. The first and second flight were on schedule.Then, we got to Reagan International Airport. It is a really neat airport with lots of interesting architecture and art work, as you can see in the picture. We were on a low budget Delta flight where you had to walk out on the tarmac to board the plane. I thought that only happened in places like Guyana. Well, we boarded that plane, then sat and sat, while they waited for their turn “in line” for an open runway. Finally, they announced that JFK was experiencing its usual Saturday night “air jam.” The sky over NY was too busy, and we would be delayed. These flights do not offer food, but they did give us some water and little snacks. Finally, about 2 hours later we took off for JFK. This is only a 45 minute flight. The airline, Delta, is so low budget that you have to get out on the tarmac and walk a good distance in the heat to what looked like the back alley of JFK. It wasn’t very nice to see. Anyhow, our dear Bekah was right at the baggage claim area waiting patiently. After a long wait, some luggage appeared, but half of ours was missing. “Welcome to Saturday night life at JFK!” Thankfully, I had put my dress for the wedding in my carry on. I just had this bad feeling, you know. Bekah also gave us mixed news - Jon arrived safe and sound in Long Island – smart guy didn’t have to go JFK. However, Joel had multiple delays and was not due for 2 more hours. So, we submitted our claim for missing baggage, got some supper and waited for Joel. Finally, he arrived, and, joy of joys, all his luggage made it, too. What a relief to be done traveling for two weeks. Now, on to the pre-wedding preparations!! (Hope that luggage shows up soon – most of my clothes were in it.)

Special Tribute

I was blessed to grow up in a large extended family. Both of my parents had many brothers and sisters, so I had more aunts, uncles and cousins than I could count. Most of you know that my mom died suddenly quite a few years ago. (1976) She was blessed to have 4 sisters who have continued to live in the same town where they were born and raised, Newton, NJ. We have always kept in touch and visited them as often as possible. Two of the sisters are twins, Anna and Virginia, then, there is Aunt Irene, and the eldest, Aunt Jeanne. In August, we had the joy of visiting these 4 great ladies. Although it was a very busy time for us, we felt a strong urge to go. You never know what can happen or when we would get that way again. It was amazing to see them and hear all that they are doing, even in these later years of life. The twins' 80th birthday will be next year and Aunt Jeanne will turn 90. Very suddenly, Aunt Anna was taken from us last week. We were all shocked and saddened by her death. I am so grateful for the many years we had with her. She had such a great attitude about life and was always an encouragement. She will be greatly missed. Please keep all of the family in your prayers.

Missouri, Here We Come

As our time at World View drew to a close, I found it harder to stay focused. I was grateful for new concepts and tools to use in ministry, but my thoughts were constantly drawn to the kids, especially to the newest members of the family, Jack and Owen. So, we finished up our classes and said our good byes. The trip to Missouri was scenic, timely and uneventful. What a blessing! Again, we were able to see Mt. Hood from the plane and other mountain ranges. It was fun to arrive in Springfield, Missouri and be greeted by the whole family, Joel, Bethany, Jack and Owen. Jack was a little shy initially but warmed up fast. He impressed us with his vocabulary and ability to identify vehicles, like the brand new Hummer on display. It promised to be an enjoyable week. Jack absolutely loves baseball, but we were able to introduce him to cricket and he caught on fast. Owen was a bubbly, cooing bundle of joy. There weren’t enough hours in the day to be with these little guys. Of course, we enjoyed time with their mom and dad and other grandmother, Lynn Stroud. All too soon the week ended. We are so grateful for those few days to bond with our precious grandsons. There won’t be many more moments with them for some time to come. “Children’s children are a crown to the aged, and parents are the pride of their children.” Proverbs 17:6

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.

Traveling...

We did not get back to Bekah’s apartment until close to 3:30 AM. All of us got up around 8:30 AM, enjoyed some good bagels and coffee and exchanged some gifts we had gotten for each other in our travels. Just 12 hours after leaving JFK, we found ourselves back in the car headed to Newark Airport. The trip to the airport was peaceful. What a relief to not have to drive back through New York. This trip was turning out to be pretty normal. The flight was on time. So, we were on our way for our first trip to the west coast. It was disappointing to have so little time with Bekah, but we would see her again in a few weeks. Everything about this flight was so different than the flight from Guyana. There was a nice meal, a movie and the flight attendants were so helpful. This was our first time flying so far west and it was awesome to see the Rockies. Imagine our surprise to see a very distinct mountain peak sticking up through the clouds - Mount Hood. (There is a picture of it on the previous blog.) How inspiring! There were other visible, well known peaks on the other side of us: Mount Ranier and Mount St. Helens. The beautiful views made us forget the frustrations of the previous travels. Here we come, Portland! Hopefully, those traveling travesties are behind us now. We are moving on... (Did you like our "Jeep for a day" and relaxed look Joe has - that's Oregon for ya!!!)

Traveling Travesties

After a few months “hiatus” from blogging, I thought I should bring you up to date on the comings and goings of Joe and Terri. There have been plenty of comings and goings and it will take more than one entry to bring you up to speed. I really wanted to blog while we were on the trip, but it seemed like every minute was occupied. We have decided that our family could collectively write a book called “The Potters’ Traveling Travesties.” Others have told us that this summer has been a horrendous time for people who are flying – many more delays, flight cancellations and lost luggage than usual. Little did we know…
At the very onset of our travels, it seemed like we were not going to be able to get out of Guyana. We left our home in Berbice on June 26 and were scheduled to leave on June 28. This particular airline, which we have never flown with before and hope never to fly with again, changed the date of departure, then, cancelled/ postponed the flight three times. They were nice enough to give us a hotel room in Georgetown, three meals and transportation to and from the airport. So, it wasn’t all bad. However, it wiped out the 2 1/2 days we had planned to visit with Bekah before flying out to Oregon. After all those delays, we finally reached JFK and found huge lines at customs and immigration due to computer glitches. Were we doomed to an all-nighter at JFK on top of the other travesties already experienced? Thankfully, they got things going and we finally met up with Bekah who had spent many hours and cups of coffee with her friend, Emily, while waiting for us to arrive. A kind person in the customs line let us use his cell phone so we could call her and let her know that we were there in the airport. It was Saturday morning,1:30 AM June 29 with 12 hours and counting until we were to fly to Portland, OR. To be continued.....

Sing unto the Lord...

Guyanese version of hopscotch

Fun, food and fellowship

Some time ago, we had a special opportunity to get together with our national co-workers and families for a day of fun, food and fellowship. Most of the group participated in playing games such as Uno, Rap, Dominoes and Hopscotch. Later on, we feasted on many Guyanese delights such as chicken curry, roti, fried fish, rice and dhal, katahar, pumpkin and shrimp, mittai, sweet rice and cake. This enjoyable gathering concluded with a time of singing rousing choruses and songs. (See pictures above.) “A good time was had by all.”