Robin Willaims, Hellen Keller... Who?

It has been a while since I have done a post. A few things have happened since the last post. I toured the city of Zurich where I had the chance to see where Zwingli first started his part in the Reformation (left). I saw the new Aladdin movie in a cinema (yes, it was in English). It was interesting because, in the middle of the movie, there was a ten-minute intermission. This was interesting, but it took away from my fourth wall experience. Overall, the movie was great!
Now, the reason for the title is because of what I have found as a shock in this country. When I first arrived, M told me that I needed to watch a movie. The movie was Patch Adams with Robin Williams as the title character. I told him that I have seen the movie multiple times and even owned the movie on my computer. He told me that people here, especially the youth, do not know about Robin Williams. I cannot fathom a childhood without Robin with his characters like Mrs. Doubtfire, Genie, Peter Pan, Patch Adams, flubber, Popeye, and many, many more. Another person that people do not know is Helen Keller. Well, this may not be as important because why would I suspect an Alabama native to be famous in Switzerland? I didn't. However, when I was looking at the streets, as I am making a map for my project at C&D, I saw that there was a street called Helen-Kellerstrasse. I looked it up and it was, in fact, the same Helen Keller that I know of. She happened to have a Swiss background and that is why there is a street named after her since she became famous in the States. When I asked M about this, he said that he didn't know who Helen Keller was and I informed him as to who the street was named after.

It will be a little longer, again, till I make another post because I will be in a different part of the country and may not have WiFi. Until then, my friends, God bless.

C&D RLD

On Thursday, I went to C&D where I would find out my project for my internship. M and I met with B who will be helping me in the project as my contact at C&D. I am going to do an art project for my project. The purpose of the project is to get people to know that C&D is here and is a part of the community. My project is tentatively called "Holes" and it will feature a 3D model of the area that I am in. In this model, I will cut out some major buildings so that people know that something is missing. I will have the buildings with me and the project will become a puzzle of sorts. They will have the opportunity to put back these major buildings from their community, but there will be one other building that is not very much known but it will be. I will cut out C&D and then they will know the location so that they can come to this place and enjoy their community even more. I will not start the actual project until the middle of June, but I am in the pre-stages in my work: mapping out the area, finding the major buildings/fields, etc. This is the main thing that I did yesterday during the day.
After my day finished, L had invited me to go to the RLD with her. So, at nine at night, L and I, along with a team, went to the RLD of Zurich city. We went to a restaurant where we all met up to discuss the night and then that restaurant donated food for us to deliver to people. We walked all over the place last night until just past midnight. It was interesting to meet other people and see them as people and not as their work. The difference between the people I interact with here and the people back home are pretty different. People at home might say, "Well, yes they are all people" and then go on to judge them because of their job. The people here go out and try to see only the people. They do call them what they are, but they show them the love that they deserve. We went out and talked to them and if they didn't want to talk, then that was fine; we gave them food and a drink if they wanted and went on our way. It was an interesting experience and I cannot wait to go again.

Jacky Jack and the Crazy Bunch

Today was interestingly fun. After spending the morning doing desk work, M and I went to the church to play with the kids since they had a half-day. For information, the schools here go until five in the evening and because of that, they give the kids a half day on Wednesdays. Doing this, I did not expect the kids to be fond of a new person as it is in my culture "Stranger Danger", but they looked at me as if I were not a stranger but a friend. We played games, told stories, played some more, went on a scavenger hunt, ate a snack, and then finished out by playing. All of this happened and one boy, N, had chosen me. Now, if you follow me on Facebook, then you will recall me saying that Zurich has twelve districts and how I lived in district 12. Well, in the instance of N seeking me out, I could not tell if it was me volunteering as tribute or if it was the quarter quell and I was Katniss (she was the only one to be picked from her bowl), I believe it is the latter. Now, this is not to say that it was bad to be chosen by him (and the rest of the group as the hours continued), this is just to show humor in a sincere moment. From the moment N chose me to whenever I leave, I will be forever known as Jacky Jack to these kids, and, yes, those kids are my crazy bunch. When I had to do some errands around the town, they were still playing outside and they saw me. They would run up to me and ask for high-fives, hugs, and then they would dance to saying "Jacky Jack". It is a good feeling. This may or may not have boosted my ego, which probably doesn't need to be boosted, but it felt great!
Tomorrow, I have meetings and then a special trip into the RLD tomorrow night.


Until then, God Bless y'all!!

Acting, Games, and Lunch, Oh My!

Today was a slow day. R and I worked on our stories for an Albanian camo we will be doing next weekend. We are given charge over the teens. The story of the entire camp is Joseph from Genesis. We both decided that it would be more fun to act out the story rather than just read it and to have the teens act it out as well. Also, we were given charge of the game time on Friday evening. Now, I am not an athletic person (literally had to look up how many people are on the field per team in soccer). I was worried about creating sports, but then I remembered all the games that I did in the Drama Club in High School, Global Youth Camps, and school assemblies. With these, we have decided to do soccer, a stretcher run, a blind obstacle course, and then finish with either a fill-the-bucket/dodgeball challenge or Dude. the difficulty of creating the activities is that the entire family is a part of the games. This camp is not just for one age group, but it is for the entire family. We are expecting anywhere from 40-60 people in the camp and maybe 12 people in the teens. It was really fun to organize the plans and start to run through our senes even though we are well over a week ahead. The hard part is, once again, the language barrier. So I am more in the background as in character wise. However, I am starting to learn German, and, according to some of the people I work with, I am starting to pick up pretty fast. These next few weeks are a blur to me, but I know that God has something for me. He has already pushed me outside of my limits and I know that he will do that even more in the next few weeks.


When we finished the first part of our preparation, R and I went down to the local church where we had lunch with the seniors. We were there to make company with them as Hoffnung Fur Zurich (Hope for Zurich) partners with that church. We spent about three hours there, spending time with them, telling them why I am here, and then we helped to clean up. Afterward, R and I had to do some chores around the house (not so fun, but we did get to walk around the city and talk to each other to get to know each other more).


I have been able to do a lot of reflection throughout the past couple of days (it will be a week tomorrow), and I can not help but praise God. I am not right in the mountains as I thought, but if I go just a little more up the hill, I can see the Alps. Some may not know this, but I feel God more when I am in his masterpiece. This is not the only thing that reminds me to praise him, but I see it as Nature itself is praising him, so, I will join it.

"He is your praise. He is your God, who has done for you these great and terrifying things that your eyes have seen." Deuteronomy 10:21 (ESV)

Language

This weekend has been a time of rest and learning. Something that was told to me from my class, since that is why I am in Switzerland, is that I will be put outside of my comfort zone. Well, Saturday night proved that. On this night, R and L invited me to go to a party of one of their friends. Now, before I go further, this is not like any American party. This was more of a Barbeque and then board games and maybe some dancing afterward. However, it pushed me out of my comfort zone. I have never been invited to a party that was a celebration of something, so this was my first ever party. The reason I was outside of my zone was that I knew, outside of L and R, absolutely no one. Luckily all of the people were very friendly and I was able to find a group that liked Marvel, Star Wars, and of course wanted to talk about America. It was interesting as I found that one person, A, had lived in Texas for 10 years and we were able to talk about the States and all the beauty it had to the Swiss people. L, R, and I arrived around six and we did not leave until midnight, It was so fun! Many laughs, snorts, and jokes were passed around!

Today, Sunday, I went to a church called ICF. it is held in the Samsung Hall here. What I found interesting is that all churches here call their services "celebration." When I went today, the pastor told of why we call it a celebration. We are celebrating Christ. He said that we are not here to do our service because we have to, but we are here to celebrate. It hit me so weirdly that they had this attitude towards church and, yet, people in America look at church as something they have to do instead of something they get to do. Another thing that was special about this church was that they had different translations for the service. I was able to listen to the sermon in English (as the majority of it was in Swiss-German). They also had other languages. The fact that they were open to other languages and cultures coming to their church astounded me. Now, I might step on some toes here, and that is not my main goal nor is it to be political, but why can't America have the same attitude? I came into Switzerland not knowing a lick of German and they have done nothing but accept me, and yet when I am in America, I hear people say, "Why can't everyone learn English. They came to America, they should learn it!" If every country in the world had the same mentality, there would be no foreign policy (or there would be a lot more multi-lingual people). When I walked in the church there was no expectancy of me to understand German, they had materials to help out. Now, this is not to say that all churches should do this as not all churches can afford it, or are in an area where there is only one language spoken in the church. That's fine, but if a church is in a community that is very international, they should do more to outreach versus marginalizing. We are to go to everyone, not make everyone come to us, but if we insist on people having to learn our language, then they will never come to us because they will see us as the people who are selfish. Let us not be those people today, Church. We can all take further actions to be more inclusive in our churches, why can we not start with languages?

My main song this summer is "Only Jesus" by Casting Crowns. The lyrics say,

                                       "I don't care if they remember me. Only Jesus."

Are we like that today in our churches? Is it only Jesus or is it our people, culture, language, and then Jesus? Let us stop putting up barriers in the way of words and let us get to know people.

Pastors!!... Assemble!!

Now, I know that all of you know what the three pictures below are (minus the clock), but do you know how to use them? Thankfully I had family that taught me how to not only read a map but to navigate without a compass (or phone in this modern age). M picked me up at the house today and he told me my task today. My task was to navigate him (a Swiss native) to the main city of Zurich. Through many trams, buses, and trains, we made to and from Zurich. M did not let me be lost but made sure of where I was going and how to get there. Naturally, I  got turned around once we got to some terminals especially when we got to HB (main station in Zurich [where the clock is from]).  

So, why were we in the big city (granted Zurich is about the size of Nashville with a lot less traffic)? Well, if you look at the title, the pastors from all over Switzerland, African countries, Asian countries, and other countries assembled and talked about where their ministries were going, what's new, what is leaving, and what is the same. This was more (as M translated from Swiss-German) to tell the heads of organizations why their time, money, and resources are needed. More strategy than anything, but to hear of what they are talking about and their responses to the issues at hand was interesting. That's the word that I will use: interesting. Coming from America (especially the SouthEast), I had some more conservative leanings and more set ways of how ministry was supposed to be. The way that these pastors were talking, they were moving towards more of the Apostolic type preaching where they went on the streets and talked to people and then either go into other cities or send others into other cities. In America, we almost all the time neglect the community around us because we are too focused on going across the country or the world. Here, their problems in society are very similar to America's problems. However, at this conference, the speaker did not give any answers, but he instead gave questions that we should ask our staff or ourselves. 

Going back to the street preaching. This is what I will be doing a little bit of in my neighborhood. But why is this important? In America, we have a church and people either go to it or they don't. It is their fault if they do not go to a church out of the 500 in the city. In Switzerland, there are many churches, yes, but the continent of Europe is also Post-Modern or Post-Christian. What M and others do is they reach out to people by meeting them where they are. If that is going to the parks to meet different families or to handing out cards for free coffee at C&D, then that is what they do. They meet the people at their neighborhood and see what the needs are for them. I mentioned the Italian man that we met yesterday, we gave him a card for a free espresso and with a joke, he said he would try it. hopefully, within the next couple of weeks, he will come to C&D and try the coffee and enjoy a conversation with other people. This is what the ministry is looking like in other countries. Pastors assembling, people going, talking, and reaching. We are the hands and feet of Jesus, and that is who we are sharing. 

On the First Day in Zurich God Gave to Me...

Hoffnung Fuer Zuerich (Hope For Zurich): Reaching the Socially Marginalized, the outcasts, the unknown.

 Oh, the wonders of air travel!! After a seventeen-hour plane ride with a couple of connections in Newark and Oslo, I have finally made it to Zurich! My contact, let's call him M, met me at the airport. From there, M and I took the tram to the Strettbach stop and then went to the house where I am staying for the summer. This house is like an American townhouse but a bit tighter. I have met all four of my housemates: R, MS, D, and L. Last night, MS, L, R and I ate dinner together and got to know each other before L and MS had to go to their ministry in the RLD. After dinner, R and I cleaned the dishes and then I went to bed.

After the 12 hour sleep, I woke up and got ready for my first real day! Now, this was not to be said that I got ready on time... I was a bit late and because of that R and I had to run to the tram to make it. They have figured out how to make sure that I will not be late to the tram again: make him run, he'll learn. Needless to say, I will wake up and be on time next time. We finally made it to the Tram, and we went to the Swiss headquarters for the organization that I am going with. There, we had a prayer meeting for different countries and for different people. It was a wonderful 4 hours! After that, we had lunch: homemade garden soup with bread (oh yeah, they love their bread and all their cheeses). Next, I met DB and her, M and I went around the neighborhood where their ministry is. This was a part of my two-week orientation period. We walked from headquarters to the local coffee shop called Coffee and Deeds where I will work in June. There, we had a quick drink break and introductions to those I will work with. Most notably is B who will help me with my project throughout June (more on that in a later post). 

Finally, we went out of the coffee shop and walked around more of the neighborhood where we walked and started to have conversations with random people on the street. We would also hand out the flyers to the people we talked to for a free coffee, espresso, or tea at Coffee and Deeds. There was this one guy, Italian descent, that told us if the espresso was not the best, then he would arrest us. Then he looked at me and said, "Except you. You are my colleague." We all laughed, I laughed nervously because this was all in Swiss-German and I had to get the translation after the man walked away (I am glad that I laughed at an appropriate situation). Below are some pictures of the landscapes either outside the window of headquarters or while walking the street. 

 So, What did God give to me? He gave me a Spirit of peace. In this internship, I will have to be flexible and not always in the know of what is going on all day (even for what my plans are for the day). I have anxiety and usually when I do not have a plan or at least a here's what you're going to do, then, I begin to get anxious. Not today, though, God is giving me the peace and strength that I need for the day. That is all that I can ask for. 

The Heart is Ready

     This summer, I am able to go to Switzerland for an internship. I am now four days away from leaving the United States to go there. The title of my blog is Reaching the Unknown. I chose this title because that is my mission in life: to reach the unknown. Who is the unknown? The unknown is the people who are marginalized from society. We might call these people the outcasts of society. They are different in every country and even every city. I have been an outcast myself and I have seen what it is like to be around people that do not turn an eye towards you. That is why I feel that God is calling me to reach out to the people who are outcasts. They are so often overlooked in multiple societies that sometimes they feel like no one is there for them. Well, Jesus is here and he is sending me along with others to reach out.
     Why Switzerland? I am going to Switzerland with an organization that is worldwide. For reasons of privacy to the said organization, I will not be naming them on this blog. For the past semester, I have been able to participate in a class at school that teams up the students (and their majors) to internships around the world. Mine just so happened to pair with Switzerland. For this class, we, those who were accepted into it, were put through multiple tasks and assignments to get us ready for culture shock. We learned what missions looked like in the Bible and then looked at the different cultures one can encounter and how we can interact with those cultures. It does not seem like much, but it is well worth the experience.
     I write this blog to share my experiences, hopefully, day by day. This will become my journal in which all of you can hitch a ride with me. My heart is ready for the experience and I appreciate all the support from those at my church, my friends, and my family. I have somewhat an idea of what I will be doing during the internship, but I am really excited to see how God will work through me this summer. My main song is "Only Jesus" by Casting Crowns. I chose this song because this summer, it is not about me. Sure, I am getting experience for my job, but this is God's summer. I am only a vessel that God has chosen to use in his grand plan. With that, here's to a multitude of experiences to come and to God be the glory!