Tell Me Something Good...

Every Tuesday and Thursday, I have Dr. Robin Scott's class, "Classroom Leadership." She models for us what good classroom leadership looks like...and that includes "Good Things." She turns on Chaka Khan and we all sing "Tell me something good...tell me that you love me..." and then we take turns announcing "Good Things." So in the spirit of Chaka Khan, here are 8 good things about Memphis.

1. Memphis is a little like Cairo...it was designed by James Winchester who was enamored of Ancient Egyptian Memphis and wanted to re-create a little Egypt in the mid-south. Both cities have a pyramid (!), both are located on the eastern side of a pretty major river, and both have toasty temperatures in the summertime. Native Memphians would say that, like Cairo, Memphis has crazy traffic. If you've actually lived in Cairo, you will understand why I think Memphis has no traffic at all.

2. Memphis is SO GREEN! I loved Cairo, but I missed the greenness of North Carolina. My apartment complex has a delightful lawn right out in front of my flat. 5 out of 7 afternoons of the week I can be found studying underneath "my" tree on that lovely lawn. Greenness is so good for the soul.

3. I'm not a big Elvis fan, but Memphis has some pretty amazing musical history and culture. I've toured the Stax museum, visited the craziness that is Graceland (!), and enjoyed an evening on Beale St...the musical heritage is rich.

4. Memphians LOVE Memphis. I love the commitment that people have to living out the gospel in this city.

5. The racial tensions in the city run high. Segregation, structural poverty, hatred, and division run deep. But where there are deep wounds, grace runs deeper and the beauty of love and forgiveness can be lived out in profound ways. What a privilege to see how God is mobilizing his church in Memphis to be ambassadors of reconciliation. It's incredible to be a part of this.

6. Bar-b-que. I hail from North Carolina, but I am NOT a fan of Carolina BBQ. Memphis BBQ, however, is an entirely different story. They do this crazy thing called BBQ Nachos, which involves BBQ, nacho cheese, jalapenos, and BBQ sauce over tortilla chips. It's a health tragedy, and should probably not be enjoyed at a rate of more than once a year if one hopes to live past the age of 70, but it is SO GOOD.

7. Tea...I am NOT a fan of southern sweet tea. It is not of God. Memphis is definitely southern, but every time I've been served tea here, it has been unsweetened. YES!

8. WATER! I love that the river is so close. Water is so good for the soul. 

Montagues

If you read Josh and Danielle's blog (and I'm sure you do - nobody that isn't related to us both reads this blog anyway...), you'll recognize these lovely people. David and Kelli Montague and crew - Mae, Annie, Ruthie, and Mary Van. I heard of these people well before I met them. Josh spoke so highly of these guys that I was excited to meet them at their home in East Asia in 2007. While it was delightful to meet them, I didn't expect our paths to cross ever again. But David is the director of MTR, so here they are and here I am, and it looks like we'll be in the same city for at least four years. Which is exciting. These guys have been SO welcoming, as evidence by this picture, which was taken immediately upon my introduction to Kelli, who gave me a huge hug, declared to the puzzled bystander that I was pretty much family, and insisted that we take a picture to send to Josh and Danielle. I LOVED meeting these guys, and was made to feel so very welcome. Can't wait to get to know them a bit better. 

Memphis.

I live in Memphis now. I'm not quite sure that I've wrapped my mind around that. But here I am, sitting at a fun coffee shop called Republic, using their wi-fi because I won't have internet in my new apartment until next Tuesday. So I guess this is real...I'm really living in Tennessee.

Monday I packed my car and headed west. I made the 11 hour trip with only one stop. I've decided I like long trips on I-40 much better than long trips on I-85. It's not a bad drive, really.

Tuesday, my new flatmate, Heidi McDonald, a super cool girl who just moved from PERU(!!), and I drove around Memphis trying to furnish our little home. We scored a free sofa, a $75 dining set, a $13 end table, a huge storage basket, a free microwave, and a free bed. Then we went to Target and bought out the store - cooking supplies, cleaning products, lamps and storage units, and a very important French Press, with which I make my delicious coffee. Heidi doesn't drink coffee. I'm not sure I understand this. But she doesn't. Maybe I'll make a believer out of her yet.... Anyway, by Tuesday night, our home was furnished with all of the essentials and is well on it's way to being a cozy place to live. I'd post pictures but I don't have a camera. It's in Cairo. Maybe some day it will be with me again. Until then, just use your imagination.

Wednesday, we went grocery shopping. I came home and made our first real meal in our little kitchen: Asian Chicken, mashed sweet potatoes, and spring greens with creamy balsamic vinaigrette. And I made a healthy version of Apple Crisp. Which is still sitting uncooked in the refrigerator, because apparently, our stove will not turn on. I'm planning to get that fixed soon. Like, today. Because a stove is an important part of my life.

Tonight is the first official event of the MTR program this year. We have a welcome dinner at MTR World Headquarters. Tomorrow orientation begins. I'm starting to get excited about this. Still heartbroken over not being in Cairo, but getting more and more excited. I'm looking forward to being a part of what God is doing in Memphis, and seeing what He does in my life this upcoming year. 

Camp Martha, Final Installment (in which Camp Martha visits Mountain Top)

Now that Jenna is gone, those wonderful days that were Camp Martha seem to be such a blur. But here are a few last pictures.

On Wednesday afternoon, we hiked to the rappelling cliffs at beloved Mountain Top and enjoyed the view. 

After our hike, we braved the new low element and completed "The Gauntlet."

Tonya and I helped each other keep our balance as we crossed the cables

 I leaped like Tarzan to complete part 2

Balancing with the rope...delicate business.

This is Jenna's "I see Jesus" look...

Some fancy footwork was required to cross the tires in part 4

After helping supervise a mega relay, we headed for home, tired after our big day. Thursday we just sat around the house, drank coffee on the porch, and enjoyed our last day together. And we may or may not have videotaped ourselves singing "Friends" by Michael W. Smith. And I won't tell you whether or not we videotaped ourselves dancing to Chris Brown's "Forever." We certainly wouldn't normally engage in such lunacy. But since our friend, GJ Tesar, the youth director at Maadi Community Church, needed these videos for a youth program, we just might have done such things. Good times, good memories. Thanks for visiting Camp Marth, Jenna-Benna!