Family Time!

Happy Father's Day!!!
And happy marriage, Blaze & Jamie!!

I had a different Sunrise experience this morning...
Last night I was chatting with my neighbors (as chatty as we could be with the language barrier and the limited amount we knew of each others' language), and they invited me to come swimming with them this morning. So at 5am I hopped on the motorbike with them (it took 2 motorbike for the 5 of us) and off we went.
We arrived and headed straight for the water. Usually if I get in the water it's mid-day so it's super hot, or I've biked 20 minutes to get there, so I'm ready to cool down in the water. But today was different, and I feared the water would be shockingly cold.
Who was I kidding?
The water was warm and refreshing, with a slightly cool kick.
We were in the water when the sun rose (is that the proper way to say that...??) and it was incredible. I wonder if the sunrise will ever seem routine or like not a big deal. I can't imagine that being the case. I hope and pray that I will never take it for granted. It is so beautiful and incredibly full of hope, provision, restoration and newness. I am so thankful that I get to experience it and feel blessed by it.
It was fun being there with a family; just me and a family. I got to see the father interacting with his daughters in a way playful and loving way that I did not think existed in this culture of men distant and absent from their families. Or so I thought. I'm glad I had this experience so my eyes could be opened and I could be rid of the false conception I had against the men here, which I didn't really realize I had.
This family is so kind and loving and inclusive, I felt honored and blessed to be apart of their family outing.
I will be moving out of the house I'm living in now, in just less than 2 weeks. I am excited for the move and arrival of my friends from APU, but I have really come to love the street I live on and the families I've gotten to know around the house. I'm really going to miss seeing them multiple times a day, "Chatting" with them and playing with the babies. Hopefully I make the time and effort to come visit for one reason or another. And I want to, so I will. Hold me to that. :)
Like I mentioned before, the rest of the teachers will be joining me about a week into July. I am so excited! Please keep them in your thoughts as they are getting prepared for their journeys and saying their goodbyes. It's a difficult and exciting time, and I hope that they are feeling at peace about tying up their loose ends and beginning a new adventure.
Kaitlyn, Ashleigh, Robin, Andrew & Christa, I'm excited to see you and we're all eagerly waiting for your arrival!!
Peace & Ubuntu

Opposing views

Can two pastors disagree and both be right?
I’ve been listening to a few different podcasts of pastors, and two in particular I really like. Both offer so much honesty and biblical foundation, and I feel there is Truth in what both of them are saying.
But
In the overall “circle” of people who read these pastors’ books or listen to their sermons, there seems to be an obvious contention that they are completely opposite.
I beg to differ.
Maybe I am being ignorant or naïve, but I find that I am led to truths and revelations from both of these people. Of course I notice major differences in what they speak about as a whole…one seems more concerned with the global community in a very large sense, and the other seems more concerned with the local community and branching out globally from there.
The Book talks about each person being one different part of the Body. So is it even reasonable to think that two pastors would be the same and have all the same views? Maybe, maybe not. I know that I definitely don’t have the answers…and that in being equally human, neither do these pastors.
There is only one source that knows all the answers. I believe that we’re all here to help each other get to know the One with the answers and keep each other in check in that pursuit, making sure we’re not going too far off from the Book and the Spirit.
This is when it’s frightening to realize that something one of these pastors (a person who devotes their life to studying, learning, deciphering, interpreting and discussing the Bible) believes to be absolutely, undeniably true could be the exact opposite of what another one of these pastors believes, or what I think I believe…it’s scary! I don’t want to live my life based on the wrong theology…
But then I remember that there’s only one side I need to choose. As long as I am in constant pursuit of Truth, Love, Justice, Community, Hope, and His Will, then I think everything else is commentary and I need to take all of it with a discerning ear and open heart. He is my guide and my filter and I trust Him to keep me near to Him and His Truth.
Cause let’s face it: We’re all human, we’re all sinners saved by grace, we all need a little help from our friends. We don’t know the answers, and we can’t expect to get it right, except by His grace. His answer is the only one that matters, and it’s our job to ask the right questions.

I think I need a sunrise, I’m tired of the sunset…

There’s a line in Augustana’s song, “Boston,” that says “I think I need a sunrise, I’m tired of the sunset…” I’m not tired of the sunsets I’ve seen, but growing up on the west coast of the US, the number of actual sunrises I’ve seen have been few. Now I’m living on the eastern coast of Vietnam with the beach a 20 minute bike ride away.
I woke up at 4:15 yesterday morning to meet the APU team. We took a taxi and went to the beach to watch the sunrise and it was incredible. There were many people there exercising, swimming, running, playing…I was very surprised! It was a great time. We also saw a few women burying themselves in the sand. Usually you see children doing this for fun and it's silly, but apparently it is good for the bones, and people do this. Hmm.
We were there for about an hour and a half, just enjoying IT—Vietnam, each other, the scene, the feelings of awe and appreciation, the cool morning air…ok not cool, but not blistering hot.
After the beach I started biking home, and stopped at the market for some veggies and fruit. It was about 6:20am when I got to the market, and I’ve never been there that early before! It was quite the sight: people were still bringing in all of their goods, setting it all up on their carts and tables, there were people still cutting apart their pigs and cows…that was gross—it really threw me off guard and I almost tripped over a guy taking the skin off of his cow because I was so stunned by the bleeding pig’s head on the other side of me.
Other than that I considered myself successful at the market, getting very fresh vegetables and using some Vietnamese in the process! I was able to ask what things were, and ask how to prepare some of the things I bought. It was fun! The women I go to are familiar with me now, and have suggested new things for me to try and tell me what other things to cook them with or eat them with.
Waking up early has been a pretty regular occurrence lately, if not for little outings like this, and sometimes for walking, then it’s just because it’s so hot and impossible to continue sleeping! For the past 2 or 3 weeks, it has been getting relentlessly hotter. My energy is fading, but gallons of water and long afternoon naps have been a great help. I do love being awake so early in the mornings though. And it has made my days feel more productive and I feel like I’m getting more out of myself and of my daily experience.
This morning we had another “field trip” with Superkids. I put that in quotations because it wasn’t really a trip. We started at the school and walked numerous blocks to the big park. It was an Environmental Walk, and we all picked up trash as we were walking. Somehow the local news station heard about it and came to film some footage. I think we’ll be on the VTV news sometime soon! Pretty exciting. Once we got to the park the kids played on the equipment (ok, so did we) for awhile and then their parents came to pick them up from the park. Us teachers, and the APU volunteers, walked back to the school and parted ways for lunch. The park was beautiful! There is a big lake in the middle, and there are many benches surrounding it. Apparently there is no swimming in the lake, it’s too dirty I think. But it sure is nice to look at. There are duck/swan boats to take out though, and petal around. If you’ve ever been to the Lagoon and Public Garden in Boston, that’s exactly what it reminded me of.
This past Tuesday I had two more parent meetings, concluding to more of my classes. Both meetings went very well, and I received some really encouraging comments from my boss afterwards. In a weird way, I was very humbled by him telling me that I was doing a great job and that he was impressed with my teaching style…saying that sounds cocky even, I know. But I just felt so aware that what he was seeing and praising wasn’t me, but what was being done through me. It was the spirit and attitude given to me, it was the love and care for my students from the Father, which was carried out through me. It was humbling to realize how small of a part I am actually playing in this whole teaching thing, and I hope that it continues to be less of me, and more of Him.

My Address

Because a few of you have asked, I thought I'd put this out into blog land once more.

Audrey Quealey
c/o Fisher Superkids English Center
99 Nguyen Van Linh
Danang, Vietnam

I successfully received a package yesterday, so I know it is possible! :)

Things I'd enjoy receiving include chocolate, soup/sauce/seasoning packets, tampons, gluten-free treats or baking mixes, stickers, pictures of you or you and me, ANYTHING!!!!!!! :) :)

The sun is hot, the wind is soft

Today has been a wonderful day. I woke up early, like I've been wanting to lately, and went on a walk down to the river. I walked up and down the river, then stopped and did some stretches and such, then walked home. It was wonderful! There were many other people exercising down at the river, mostly older folks, I'd say ages 65+. It's also interesting around town, some people who have places set up for lunch and dinner aren't out in the morning, and different people are out and in different places for breakfast. It's just something simple, but I'd never thought about that being different, mostly because for the most part, the same foods are served for every meal: rice, soup, meat, egg, porridge...side note, eel porridge is one of my most favorite breakfasts, yummy! I'll have to take a picture of it next time I eat it.
So after I got home from my walk I took a shower and made some coffee and oatmeal. I bought a metal coffee filter the other day so I could make Vietnamese coffee at home. I also of course bought the coffee grounds and sweetened condensed milk. I took a picture off of Wikipedia to show what it looks like. First you pour the sweetened condensed milk in the glass. Then you put the coffee grounds in the metal filter with the press on top, then pour the hot water in the filter and let it drip down into the milk. Once it's done dripping, you stir it up really well, and then drink! I usually put some ice in it, because let's be honest, I don't need to make myself overheat for no good reason.
So I ate my oatmeal and drank my cafe sua da (coffee milk ice) while reading and listening to Mars Hill online. After that I started some laundry and did some journalling. When the wash was done, I hung it on the line and got ready to go. I rode my bike to work to use the internet, as well as drop a few things off and talk to the girls. When I was there, Uyen brought me a slip saying I received a package! I was headed to the postoffice next anyway, in order to send a package home, so it was perfect! I spent some time at the post office filling out forms to send my package, and receive the one from the states. I was so excited! I've been anticipating this for many many weeks now. My mom sent me some fun things from home, and it was wonderful to get! Thanks Mamma :)
Now I am hanging out at a friend's house using her internet and watching the Discovery channel (in English). I am leaving shortly to go to Mr. Hai's house for a welcome dinner for the volunteers from APU. I'm excited to see them! It will be odd to have some familiar faces in the country...but a VERY good odd! Plus I love spending time with Mr. Hai's family and the Superkids staff.


Thank you for the rain yesterday, and thank you for the bright sun and soft wind today. You know what we need each day.