This is my paper that I did for my philosophy class, Antiquities. This is the second draft and while it could use another draft still, I was graded on this one and don't really have the time to do it. Hope you enjoy and please, feel free to give me your opinion on it. The assignment was to write an argumentative paper about something from Plato's Five Dialogues.

The Problem With Truth

Lyndsi Marzolf

Lyndsi: Who are you?

Simplicio: My name is Simplicio.

L: What are you doing here?

S: I'm looking for truth and I was hoping you could help me.

L: Why me?

S: You are taking a philosophy class, are you not?

L: Well, yes, I am.

S: So, you'd think that after studying the same texts for a couple thousand years somebody would have gotten to the bottom of it by now.

L: All right, since you put it that way, I'll give it a shot. I suppose I've got as good a chance as the next person. I should warn you though, we have been studying Plato's Five Dialogues, so I will probably talk about it a lot. After all, it was Socrates who said, "There is no greater evil one can suffer than to hate reasonable discourse." But first I'd like to know why you are searching for truth.

S: Well, isn't that what you're supposed to do?

L: Please don't tell me that you are looking for truth only because you think you are supposed to.

S: No! I have another reason.

L: What is it then?

S: I want to know how life works and when you have the truth you know this.

L: Is that so? Why do you want to know how life works?

S: I guess because you need to know how life works in order to live the right way.

L: So, you don't think you are living the right way now?

S: If I was, then I wouldn't be looking for truth.

L: Why do you need to live the right way?

S: Living the right way or knowing truth, can make us prosperous. It gives us insight into the world to help us succeed. Also, knowing truth could help bring about justice and a better world. If we had truth, we could rid the world of deceit and without deceit most of the other vices wouldn't exist.

L: That is an admirable reason but what about truth just for the sake of truth? As soon as truth is used as a means to an end, I would say that it has lost its value because using truth for something is the same as manipulating it or sullying the purity of it which makes it, in a way, no longer truth.

S: I never thought of it that way.

L: Now that you've something to think about, let's move on. To begin with, what you think truth is?

S: I would say that truth is the thing that is reliable and that doesn't ever change.

L: It sounds like you agree with Plato's theory of Forms--that the Beautiful itself, or in your case the Truth itself, the thing that the beautiful, or true, here on earth participates in, cannot be changed in any way. In other words, what you are saying is that truth will always be the same as it is now. What was true at the beginning of time is still true today and will be true forever. It is upon this kind of truth that we may rely. Do you think that there can be more than one kind of truth? Is there any truth which changes from time to time?

S: No, truth cannot change. If it did it would no longer be true; it would be something else.

L: Would it be false or simply a statement that is neither true nor false but just is.

S: If it is not true then it must be false.

L: So you would say that my age, being 18 and some months at the moment, is false because it is always changing. From day to day I am not the same age as I was yesterday nor as I will be tomorrow. Does this make my age false? And what of time itself? From moment to moment it moves relentlessly on, never stopping, always changing. These things embody change, but it does not follow that they are false. By saying that truth never changes you have, in a way, boxed it in by time because things can change over time.

S: All right, my definition obviously didn't work, so now it's your turn.

L: My definition can pretty much be summed up by the word "absolute."

S: What in the world does that mean?

L: What I mean is that if something is absolute it is the ultimate, the foundation, unable to be divided or separated any more.

S: If truth is some kind of foundation, then what is it supporting?

L: Truth supports knowledge while at the same time knowledge reveals truth. Consider that scientists say that the atom, or whatever is the smallest known unit now, is what composes the physical part of our world. It makes up nature, the human body, and all of the other things we find tangible in creation, as well as a few intangible ones like gases and such. This does not hold true when it comes to the sound of music or the beauty of a sunset. Truth must then support things which are conceptual and that exist in the mind. Knowledge is what our minds hold. However, it takes knowledge to get to the truth.

S: I still don't get it.

L: Maybe some explanations and an example will clarify things. We can have knowledge of something that is made up of a number of facts. Facts are pieces of information that are valid. A bunch of these together constitute some knowledge. This knowledge can be misinterpreted or manipulated so that we perceive this knowledge wrongly. This leads to lies or falsehoods. Truth is reality, the way things really are regardless of how they are perceived. This reality cannot be changed in the sense that how we view it will not make it different then what it really is. In the Phaedo, Socrates describes truth as "all that is pure." In other words, it can't be affected by us. No matter how wrongly we perceive, the knowledge of what actually happened does not change and is not affected. Take a murder for instance. The fact that there is a dead body with a bullet hole in it, a gun lying on the floor, and blood all around would lead us to the conclusion or knowledge that the person was killed with a gun. Let's say that there is also the fact that Joe Schmoe will inherit a million dollars because of the murder. It may or may not mean that he committed the murder. For the sake of argument I will say that the truth is that he did not commit the murder and inheriting a million dollars has nothing to do with it. This can still be manipulated by someone to make him look guilty or it can be mistakenly misinterpreted, either one leading to a false belief or lie. However, the truth still is that he didn't do it and the inheritance doesn't matter. If the facts aren't manipulated we can use knowledge to get to the truth, so knowledge reveals truth. Truth supports knowledge in that knowledge itself is true and only through manipulation and misinterpretation is it false.

S: Yes, I suppose that does make more sense. It leaves room for truth to be right in every situation even if the next moment it is different. The problem is that there is one truth and the possibility of many falsehoods. That doesn't make the odds of finding the truth very good. If we are all searching for truth, then why would it be the hardest thing to find?

L: That also brings up the point of knowing truth when we see it. While having a conversation with Meno about the substance of virtue, Socrates describes something, he calls it true opinion, as a sort of knowledge that is unfounded but correct. It is as though it has been discovered by accident. If humanity possesses any kind of truth it is this true opinion which has been happened upon unintentionally. This only helps us when we have "guessed right" for as Meno wisely points out "the man who has knowledge will always succeed, whereas he who has true opinion will only succeed at times." The trouble being that we don't know when we have truth! True Opinion does not become knowledge until it has been justified. Often times we think we know something and then it is proved false. For example, people used to believe that the earth was the center of the solar system. Then along came a man named Galileo who discovered that the sun is the center of the solar system. Unfortunately he was forced to recant and to spend the rest of his life under house arrest, but that is beside the point. Our beliefs about the structure of an atom have changed over time as well. Also our knowledge of the inner workings of the human body have changed. Think of all the organs we used to believe were useless!! All these things we have at one point deemed knowledge that we knew to be true only to discover later that they were wrong. Can we really trust that we know anything for sure at all? Each of these ideas was ardently believed to be true but we now know (or think we know) it to be false. How many things do we hold as truth now that will one day be proved false? Maybe it is true that he is wisest who knows that he knows nothing.

S: Great, now I don't only not know what truth is but I also have to doubt everything!!

L: Wait, it gets better. Have you ever heard of the Liar's Paradox?

S: No. What is that?

L: Well, if you open the Bible to Titus chapter one and read the first part of verse twelve you will see that it says, "One of Crete's own prophets has said it: 'Cretans are always liars.'" Would you believe this statement?

S: Yes, I think he of all people would know what he was talking about.

L: That is just it! He just said that all Cretans are liars and yet he himself is a Cretan.

S: Then that would make him a liar.

L: This is where the paradox comes in. For if he is lying, then the opposite would be true, that all Cretans speak the truth. But, if he is lying, then all Cretans do not speak the truth. Yet, in saying that all Cretans lie he would be telling the truth. It just goes around and around.

S: That is extremely difficult to understand.

L: You should try explaining it sometime. Now, from what I have said, is the Cretan's statement true or false?

S: I have no idea.

L: Well, if the statement is true then he is a liar. If the statement is false then is not a liar. We don't really know which one he is, so is it possible that something is both true and false at the same time?

S: That can't be right!

L: Have you got a better answer? If Socrates was right when he said "the very good and the very wicked are both quite rare, and that most men are between those extremes," then maybe truth can have a little of the false in for we already know that falsehoods can possess a little truth.

S: Fine, if we can't know what truth is then what is the point of there being any? According to what you've said, we can know what it is but never recognize when it is in front of us. Why do we keep searching for it?

L: Now that is a question worth considering. First of all it is a bit presumptuous to think that we could understand what truth is and to recognize it when we have so seemingly little experience with it. That aside, it could be that we are born with the need or desire for it. Or truth could be something that we live off of, a kind of food. Maybe truth is the food that our souls need to survive. When speaking of the immortal soul, Socrates says that when investigating by itself the soul "passes into the realm of what is pure." We've already seen that he calls this purity truth and that he considers the purpose of the soul to be separating itself from the body. So, it may be more likely that the search for truth is something we require. Maybe it does something for us that we are not aware of but that we desperately need. For all we know, it could be the entire purpose of our existence.

S: This is getting just a little bit depressing.

L: Don't say that! Who knows? Perhaps finding out why we need truth is more important than actually getting the truth.

Here are some of the fascinating things that I am learning in my Old Testament class. It's hard to believe I would never have learned these things if I hadn't come to Gordon!

- There are four different interpretations for the creation days. The word for day in Hebrew is Yom and this can be taken as a literal day or as a long or indefinite period of time. The four theories are the literal, Gap Hypothesis, Day-Age theory, and Framework Hypothesis. I had never heard of the Framework Hypothesis before. It believes that the order of creation is a literary framework that arranges things topically. It is from the viewpoint of an observer and so sees itself as the pinnacle of creation. The number seven is one of completion and perfected, hence seven days.

- In Genesis 2:18, the NIV and many other Bibles have translated in the God made a "helper suitable" for man. The Hebrew phrase is ezer kenegdo and the a better translation of it is "a power equal to him." (I wrote an entire paper on this one, so feel free to ask me about it!)

- The creation story is filled with literary puns that you can only catch if you know Hebrew. For instance, the word for ground or dust is adamah and the first man taken from dust is called Adam.

- There are three theories about the flood and how much land it covered. It was either geographically and ethnographically universal, geographically local and ethnographically universal, or geographically and ethnographically local.

- When Abraham is trying to buy the cave of Machpelah to bury his wife Sarah in, Ephron was pressing him to buy the land along with the cave because if the owner only sold part of it according to Hittite law he must continue to pay taxes and take care of military services.

- I now know how the Hebrew Bible is split up. The last book is 2 Chronicles because the last phrase in 2 Chronicles is "Let him go up!" referring to Jerusalem. The last verse in Micah is morbid and they didn't want a morbid verse to end their Bible.

- We've learned the translations of the Old Testament and a LOT about Hebrew culture.

- The Ten Commandments or Decalogue (as well as Deuteronomy) uses the format of a Hittite Suzerain Treaty (that is one of a lord to a vassal nation). There are six parts to this treaty and it follows it very closely.

- I know the laws that make things Kosher and the Holidays of the Jews both periodic and annual.

This may sound like bragging (I suppose in a way it is) but really I just want to share some of the awesome stuff I've learned about my Bible and we're only through Deuteronomy!! I'm not an expert by any means, but if any of this stuff interests you, let me know and I'd be happy to get you some more information. Don't miss out!!

A Love Worth Waiting For.....

A letter from husband Sullivan Ballou to his wife during the Civil War.

July 14, 1861
Camp Clark, Washington

My very dear Sarah:
The indications are very strong that we shall move in a few days—perhaps tomorrow. Lest I should not be able to write again, I feel impelled to write a few lines that may fall under your eye when I shall be no more . . .

I have no misgivings about, or lack of confidence in the cause in which I am engaged, and my courage does not halt or falter. I know how strongly American Civilization now leans on the triumph of the Government and how great a debt we owe to those who went before us through the blood and sufferings of the Revolution. And I am willing—perfectly willing—to lay down all my joys in this life, to help maintain this Government, and to pay that debt . . .

Sarah my love for you is deathless, it seems to bind me with mighty cables that nothing but Omnipotence could break; and yet my love of Country comes over me like a strong wind and bears me unresistibly on with all these chains to the battle field.

The memories of the blissful moments I have spent with you come creeping over me, and I feel most gratified to God and to you that I have enjoyed them for so long. And hard it is for me to give them up and burn to ashes the hopes of future years, when, God willing, we might still have lived and loved together, and seen our sons grown up to honorable manhood, around us. I have, I know, but few and small claims upon Divine Providence, but something whispers to me—perhaps it is the wafted prayer of my little Edgar, that I shall return to my loved ones unharmed. If I do not my dear Sarah, never forget how much I love you, and when my last breath escapes me on the battle field, it will whisper your name. Forgive my many faults and the many pains I have caused you. How thoughtless and foolish I have often times been! How gladly would I wash out with my tears every little spot upon your happiness . . .

But, O Sarah! If the dead can come back to this earth and flit unseen around those they loved, I shall always be near you; in the gladdest days and in the darkest nights . . . always, always, and if there be a soft breeze upon your cheek, it shall be my breath, as the cool air fans your throbbing temple, it shall be my spirit passing by. Sarah do not mourn me dead; think I am gone and wait for thee, for we shall meet again . . .

"Good For You Australia"

This was said by the prime minister of Australia, John Howard. Let me know what you think.

Muslims who want to live under Islamic Sharia law were told on Wednesday to get out of Australia , as the government targeted radicals in a bid to head off potential terror attacks.

A day after a group of mainstream Muslim leaders pledged loyalty to Australia and her Queen at a special meeting with Prime Minister John Howard, he and his Ministers made it clear that extremists would face a crackdown. Treasurer Peter Costello, seen as heir apparent to Howard, hinted that some radical clerics could be asked to leave the country if they did not accept that Australia was a secular state, and its laws were made by parliament. "If those are not your values, if you want a country which has Sharia law or a theocratic state, then Australia is not for you", he said on National Television

"I'd be saying to clerics who are teaching that there are two laws governing people in Australia : one the Australian law and another Islamic law that is false. If you can't agree with parliamentary law, independent courts, democracy, and would prefer Sharia law and have the opportunity to go to another country, which practices it, perhaps, then, that's a better option", Costello said.

Asked whether he meant radical clerics would be forced to leave, he said those with dual citizenship could possibly be asked to move to the other country. Education Minister Brendan Nelson later told reporters that Muslims who did not want to accept local values should "clear off. Basically people who don't want to be Australians, and who don't want, to live by Australian values and understand them, well then, they can basically clear off", he said.

Separately, Howard angered some Australian Muslims on Wednesday by saying he supported spy agencies monitoring the nation's mosques. Quote: "IMMIGRANTS, NOT AUSTRALIANS, MUST ADAPT. Take It Or Leave It. I am tired of this nation worrying about whether we are offending some individual or their culture. Since the terrorist attacks on Bali , we have experienced a surge in patriotism by the majority of Australians."

"However, the dust from the attacks had barely settled when the 'politically correct' crowd began complaining about the possibility that our patriotism was offending others. I am not against immigration, nor do I hold a grudge against anyone who is seeking a better life by coming to Australia ." "However, there are a few things that those who have recently come to our country, and apparently some born here, need to understand." "This idea of Australia being a multi-cultural community has served only to dilute our sovereignty and our national identity. And as Australians, we have our own culture, our own society, our own language and our own lifestyle."

"This culture has been developed over two centuries of struggles, trials and victories by millions of men and women who have sought freedom"

"We speak mainly ENGLISH, not Spanish, Lebanese, Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Russian, or any other language. Therefore, if you wish to become part of our society . Learn the language!"

"Most Australians believe in God. This is not some Christian, right wing, political push, but a fact, because Christian men and women, on Christian principles, founded this nation, and this is clearly documented. It is certainly appropriate to display it on the walls of our schools. If God offends you, then I suggest you consider another part of the world as your new home, because God is part of our culture."

"We will accept your beliefs, and will not question why. All we ask is that you accept ours, and live in harmony and peaceful enjoyment with us."

"If the Southern Cross offends you, or you don't like "A Fair Go", then you should seriously consider a move to another part of this planet. We are happy with our culture and have no desire to change, and we really don't care how you did things where you came from. By all means, keep your culture, but do not force it on others.

"This is OUR COUNTRY, OUR LAND, and OUR LIFESTYLE, and we will allow you every opportunity to enjoy all this. But once you are done complaining, whining, and griping about Our Flag, Our Pledge, Our Christian beliefs, or Our Way of Life, I highly encourage you take advantage of one other great Australian freedom,

'THE RIGHT TO LEAVE'."

"If you aren't happy here then LEAVE. We didn't force you to come here. You asked to be here. So accept the country YOU accepted."

Maybe if we circulate this amongst ourselves, American citizens will find the backbone to start speaking and voicing the same truths.

I will lift my eyes

Between impossible papers due soon, hard tests coming up fast, health problems with so many complications, very little sleep, restricted activities, and screwy relationships, I'm feeling a good many reasons to scream, swear, and just generally throw a hissy fit. But I have been meditating on a verse in James 1: 4 that advises me otherwise. I spend my free hours digging through the Bible looking for verses to hold on to as my world spins out of control and I sing myself this song.....

God, my God, I cry out
Your beloved needs You now
God, be near, calm my fear
And take my doubt

Your kindness is what pulls me up
Your love is all that draws me in

I will lift my eyes to the Maker
Of the mountains I can’t climb
I will lift my eyes to the Calmer
Of the oceans raging wild
I will lift my eyes to the Healer
Of the hurt I hold inside
I will lift my eyes, lift my eyes to You

God, my God, let Mercy sing
Her melody over me
God, right here all I bring
Is all of me

‘Cause You are and You were and You will be forever
The Lover I need to save me
‘Cause You fashioned the earth and You hold it together, God
So hold me now

So, now that every mountain and every hill for that matter, has become something I literally can't climb, I lift my eyes and ask him to hold me.

100 things about me

I saw this on my friends blog and I think it's a cool idea, so I'm going to give it a shot. Here it goes.....

1) I love philosophy
2) I think mornings are the best part of the day
3) I come alive in the autumn
4) I think the White Mountains in the fall is one of the most breathe-taking sights I'll ever find
5) I love to swing
6) In the spring I go around smooshing ant hills
7) I love hugs
8) I like to snuggle things when I watch movies
9) I wish my hair was long and wavy
10) I don't like to take medicine
11) I've wanted to be a writer since about the third grade and I've never changed my mind
12) I live and breathe books
13) I think Calla lilies are elegant
14) I love photographs of my friends and family
15) I want to travel to every country in the world at least once
16) I love thunderstorms
17) I have never broken a bone in my body
18) I have gone indoor skydiving
19) I want to go outdoor skydiving
20) I am afraid of being alone on cold dark, nights
21) I am terrified of fire
22) End times movies and books scare me
23) Sea turtles are my favorite animal
24) I love moose
25) I love seeing tall, white church steeples sticking out from among the trees against a blue sky
26) I have been to North Dakota more times than you have probably said the name
27) I think Leonardo da Vinci is the coolest man of the renaissance
28) I like being alone with my thoughts
29) I love Winnie the Pooh and especially Eeyore
30) I love the wind
31) I hate it when it's hot
32) I have been to Budapest, Hungary
33) I hate it when kids bash education and religion
34) I love the word September but October has better color so it's growing on me
35) I love to write letters and receiving them is twice as good
36) My favorite time in history is the 1800s
37) I love warm apple cider with cider donuts
38) I've always wanted to Irish step dance
39) Little Women is my favorite book and I've read it at least six times
40) I love the Regency time period and everything Jane Austen wrote
41) I keep a journal
42) I'm teaching myself Russian
43) I hate highlighting, bending, underlining, or in anyway harming books
44) I wish I had one amazing black and white photo of myself
45) My nervous habits are twirling my hair and playing with my necklace
46) Breakfast is my favorite meal
47) I love peanut butter
48) I really love fresh bread/muffins
49) I've seen a full double rainbow
50) I like to think
51) I need plenty of sleep
52) I don't like talking to people I don't know very well on the phone
53) I like warm food on a cold day
54) One of my pet peeves is ditsy girls you are boy-crazy and say "like" too much
55) I wish my hair looked nice long but it always seems to be better short
56) I like to snack on nuts
57) However vain this sounds, I like my eyes
58) I used to wish that my parents had named me Amanda
59) Even though I still like the name Amanda, I love my name and how its spelled
60) I put a lot of value on education, probably too much sometimes
61) My favorite clothing styles are classic and some preppy
62) I can be very shy and extremely quiet (too shy and quiet most of the time)
63) I think books can be some of the best comfort
64) I want my own library in my house someday with floor to ceiling bookshelves and a fireplace
65) I love windows
66) I like to make lists
67) I hate coffee and don't really like to drink soda
68) A good deal of my busyness is self-imposed
69) I like making gifts for people
70) I want to dance in the rain
71) I can work really hard when I need to
72) I get headaches a lot
73) I hate disappointing people
74) I love teals, greens, greys, blues, purples, orange, and very much greyish-blue
75) I love Bible verses when the words I read are the ones resonating in my heart
76) I love pictures that spontaneously capture the moment
77) I love the contrast of the blue of the Aegean Sea against the white stone in photos of Greece
78) I love clean movies that give me a warm fuzzy feeling inside or find my adventurous side
79) I love the feeling that comes from knowing the right answer to a difficult question
80) Sometimes I wish I stayed in gymnastics
81) I like the uniqueness of saying that I am a mime
82) I like being thin
83) I can be very selfish
84) I worry about my habits annoying other people
85) I feel free when I dance
86) I like grey spelled g-r-e-y not g-r-a-y whether it's right or not
87) I love Gaelic
88) I wish I treated other people the way Jesus would
89) Once you have my friendship, it's an awfully hard thing to lose
90) I don't like to dream at night
91) I love my dog Holly and am going to cry like a baby when she dies
92) I have always wanted to learn Hebrew and read the Bible in its original language
93) I love having my family around and spending time with them
94) I want to write a good book, a really, really good book
95) I love the elves from LOTR and have wished I could be one :)
96) I think Tolkien and Lewis were literary geniuses and I'd be happy to write half as good
97) I have often wished to be a L. M. Montgomery heroine
98) "hideous conceit and low self-esteem in equal measure" is what I find in myself a lot
99) I have the hardest time finishing stories and I usually delete them anyway
100) I love God and will follow him all the days of my life

It was hard to think of 100 things at first and it took a long time to do but towards the end I could think of more. This is a pretty random assortment so don't be afraid to ask questions. I'd love to hear what you think about yourself or me no matter how many you come up with. Hope you all enjoy getting to know me a little better.

It's been a while...

Wow, I haven't updated this blog in a loooong time. I guess when a series of posts is unfinished it's rather intimidating to come back and face something unresolved. However, I want to start blogging again so I'm back and refuse to let myself feel guilty for not finishing. Just got to keep going forward. So, for those of you who like reading my blog (I hope there are some) you can look here for sporadic updates.

Pictures - Part IV

Mr. Whissel and his cat.

The beautiful Jen Stone.

Historical Houses.

Our group.

A church.

Sanctuary type place.

Little tiny well.

Water wheel.

Eboya and me.

Catey and Lessa.

Downtown Uzhorrod.

The friendly little black dog. Isn't he cute?

Crossing the street.

Inside the cafe.

Cool place, huh?

Ukraine Trip 2007 - Part IV

Day 6: We made a morning excursion to visit a historic village in Uzhorrod. They have houses from all through the centuries to show how the houses in Ukraine have changed. Some of them have been transported from all around the country. We had a guide and it was pretty interesting. The things they could do with hay is quite incredible. Walking around the city itself is always fun. It's exactly how a European town is portrayed in the movies. There are street dogs everywhere and this year I was able to ignore them most of the time. Being a dog lover it was more difficult the first year. I was doing great until Jen and I spotted this little, black pathetic looking thing. He was so mild and submissive. He let us come right up to him and pet him. He just seemed to be soaking up all of the attention. I didn't want to leave him and wondered what Mom and Dad would say if I brought home another dog. However, Mr. Whissel was keeping a close eye on us and he dragged us away before I had a chance to do anything. After freezing for a while we stopped in at a small cafe that was really crowded. It was a lot like Starbucks but smaller so there was no seating only counter space. I had a hot chocolate and I think it just might have been the best I've ever tasted. Back at Nehemiah we had to don our mud gear again. This time we were visiting a gypsy village pronounced something like Zereechivo. Thankfully we were not crammed into a van but were able to take a bus. I sat next to Lessa watching everything. My mind was pretty distracted that day. This village was even more mudding than the first with a few brown spots that were definitely NOT mud. This mud was different. It suction-cupped to your shoes and you had to work for every step. No wonder they have a pump to wash their shoes before they go into the church. This building was even smaller than the last. Pastor Paul had us praying for healings for different people. My mind was far away where it had no business being and so I spent the rest of our short time there beating myself up for it. It can be pretty depressing watching everyone around you have this great spiritual experience and connecting with all the poeple around them and you can't seem to reign your mind in and concentrate. Walking out of the village I was having a full blown pity party. A couple of the girls were walking with some little kids who had had their pictures taken about a million times. This little blond angel came up beside me so I took her hand and we sloshed our way through the mud. Before we got to the road she stopped beside a house. I figured it was hers and she was going to go in but instead she ran behind the house. I kept walking to the other side thinking that she was going to come around but she was gone. I looked around a little but just like that she had disappeared. In the bus the girls behind me we sobbing and going on about how they had to come back some day and they started praying. What they were doing was what they should have been doing but it was not what I wanted to listen to right then. Lessa had patted the seat beside her for me to sit with her again, so I did. She let me lay my head on her shoulder and close my eyes. I was so mad at myself for being distracted and missing out and not being one of the girls crying my eyes out over the whole thing. I just stayed there for about ten minutes, silent tears running down my face, praying to God. When I sat up Lessa took my hand in hers, snuggled right up to me, and rested her head on me. Sitting there holding her for the next half hour I was so blown away by the fact that she had practically nothing and no one in the world and barely any hope of anything better and yet she was comforting me who had friends, family, possessions, and the chance to do anything I want. Talk about being humbled. Those next thirty minutes were the best ones of the entire trip for me. I would have done the whole thing just for that. That night was pretty much like the previous. We did bead work in the prayer room while indoor games of frisbee and ball were going on. It was a little dangerous just sitting there like a target while I worked on a necklace. Within five minutes I was smacked by three frisbees and a ball. I suppose it was slightly more dangerous later when we were up on the second floor putting the girls to bed. It was hot in the room so we opened the window. The windows there don't have any screens so I hung my legs over the ledge and managed to freak everyone out. It scared them more when Tiana pretended to push me out. lol.

Pictures - Part III

Playing "Down by the banks..."

Soccer!!!

Talk about ultimate frisbee...go Tiana!!

Back: Slava Front: Sasha

"There goes another one!"

Watching Cars.

Ukraine Trip 2007 - Part III

Day 5: Monday morning I was reunited with some of our translators from last year. Jen, Tiana, and I were put in one group with Valya as our interpretor. I was surprised that she remembered me from last year. I was surprised when anyone remembered me. Ira's sister, Marianna, was also there again. (They look SO much alike.) The boys had Olya who had been there last year as well. Our guests arrived about ten that morning. Our group had a 16-year-old girl named Eboya. You could tell immediately that she was gypsy and very shy. She was so shy that for most of the time she was there we couldn't tell if we were making any difference or if her time at Nehemiah was affecting her at all. To break the ice Valya had us play some games that let us get to know each other. Then we had a big game of "Down by the banks." We discovered that Eboya LOVES sports. You name and she can do it. Katharine and Catey's girl, Lessa, was less reserved and more open and affectionate. The two boys we had were Slava (13) and Sasha (11). They were really small for their age. Sasha looked about 7 but, boy, did they have energy! We took them outside after lunch. There was a tennis court that worked for an enclosed space to play in. There were several games of soccer and frisbee going on at the same time. It was kind of crazy in there. Slava enjoyed sending frisbees out over the fence into the next yard, so Sam Penkacik and Mr. Kempe took turns climbing it to go retrieve them. Having rock climbers with us sure did come in handy. There is a small playground there as well and we spent some time on that but by then it was getting a bit cold. Before dinner we watched Cars. Well, I didn't. I went to lay down for a while because my head was throbbing but everyone else did. It was supposed to be in Ukrainian (Cars was the first professionally translated movie into Ukrainian) but Valodya couldn't get home in time to get it for us. I think the kids could understand most of it anyway. After dinner there we did bead work and played duck, duck, goose in Russian (accompanied by Steve on the drums). Valya also taught us this crazy but fun game called Eatchquake and Shake. You take three people and form a house with two (like in London bridge) with one person in the middle. There is on person who isn't in a house and they have to say earthquake or shake. If they say shake then just the people in the house have to switch house. If they say earthquake then everyone has to change to a new position. The only person left out is the next to call the shots. It can be really hilarious and we played it for the longest time. Around nine we put the kids to bed. It had been a long day and we were all ready for a break. Catey and I stayed up just a little bit late talking that night. :)

Pictures - Part II

Church of the New Testament

The flags we left being used by some of their dancers.

Valodya translating as Pastor Paul preaches.

Fishermen of Uzhorrod.

In the restaurant.

The castle.

View of the city. (Every single day was this grey.)

Catey, Alla, and Katharine. My three lovely ladies.

The largest well I have ever seen. It just kept going down and down and down.....I don't think there was a bottom.

Ukraine Trip 2007 - Part II

Day 3: Saturday was our day of prayer. Whenever a team goes to Eastern Europe the first day is taken solely for prayer and relaxation. It really helps you to recover and get your bearings. I think it might have been my favorite day of the whole week. We had a two hour session in the morning and were joined by Alla and her care-taker Nadia. Alla is the young lady I worked with last year. She got too old for the orphanage and so they sent her home to her mother who is a prostitute. Pastor Paul was able to get her mother to sign release papers and they removed Alla from her home. Now she lives with Nadia who has taken care of several orphans. I was able to give Alla a sketch pad and drawing set. She made us draw so many pictures (not of us are really talented). In the afternoon everyone who had lost luggage got to experience the open clothing market in downtown Uzhorrod. I have never been there so I can't tell you anything about that. I heard it was quite....different. I had a very cool word spoken over me that day and we were able to pray for Alla and Nadia. Through the word I was given I was able to in turn speak over others and give some encouragement. It was something I had really missed. Julia's brother Bogadon was there with Natan in the afternoon and I was able to talk to him for a bit. I was surprised to find out that he remembered me considering I don't remember saying hardly anything to him last year! Before dinner we practiced singing some songs that we were going to do for the orphans at Domboki. Sam Penkacik is incredible with a guitar. We just picked a song and he played it. After a while it didn't sound so bad. (Singing wasn't really our forte either.) We were able to goof off that night with Sam's camera and just get to know each other a little more. For most of the trip we tended to segregate into boys and girls. Most of the kids played spoons that evening and I went down to join the adult conversation. I learned about a book Mary-Jill had made called a cone book. We brain stormed for new ideas. I would attempt to describe this book but that we take about a twenty minute tangent and would be totally irrelevant so if you really want to know ask me.

Day 4: The boys and Mr. Kempe headed off to Perechin for church while we girls and Pastor Paul went to New Testament. I was really excited to see some of the woman use flags that we had left there last year. Our only male translator from the previous year name Victor was at church. In fact he was one of the lead singer for worship. After church he was assigned the task of taking us to lunch and entertaining us for a few hours. We went to this awesome Italian looking restaurant. Inside was all painted like stone with recesses in the wall holding old vases and artifacts. There were murals on the wall and even a little bridge. The no-smoking section was upstairs. All of us ordered Ukrainain pizza. It is much thinner and flakier than ours with little or no tomato sauce. They often put canned corn on their pizza. Mrs. Whissel and I were the only ones brave enough to try, I think. I fould it pretty good but then I loved all of the food in Ukraine. Alla had come to lunch with us and introduced us to a new game. She gave us a word in Ukrainian and we had to go around the circle and each act it out. We all looked ridiculous but she is quite the little actress and had us all in stitches. To keep us busy for a while Victor took us up to see the castle of Uzhorrod. We had tried to visit it last year but it is closed on Mondays. We could only take pictures outside. Up on the wall you can look and see over most of the city and out into the mountains. It also overlooks a historical village/museum. Inside the castle they have displays of wildlife native to Ukraine and old furniture and paintings. We had to rush home to make it in time to change head to the gypsy village. On the transportation end we sort of ran out of room. Somehow we managed to squish 15 people into a 9 passenger van. Katharine and I occupied one seat with Jen on our laps. You can just imagine how the rest of them looked. The man driving our van was named Peter. He's from Scotland but he has adopted around 16 orphans and lives in Ukraine. We went to a large village called Mookachiva (pronunciation). There church was pretty small, just one room, so many of them got up to let us sit. I felt really bad about that. Their music is very up beat and puts you in a good mood just listening to it. Some of the kids did a wordless skit that was quite creative. The cool thing was that it was to a song that we had been practicing the previous day. Alan Cook preached for them. I recognized to men that had been to GOIAM in 2006. Unfortunately I had a major wave of jet-lag during the sermon. It was all I could do to keep my eyes open. It was dark out by the time service was over and they took us next door and fed us juice and cookies since we hadn't eaten since lunch. We weren't supposed to take pictures outside so I don't have any. On the way home Mrs. Urban taught us King of Kings and Lord of Lords in Russian. It sounded really cool.

Pictures - Part I

Natan has the right idea.

Random church in Budapest I thought was pretty. Taken while riding in a van.

"Happy Gum"......just had to get a picture of that.

Waterfall inside the mall.

Ditto

Ditto again.

Train Station in Budapest.

Ukraine Trip 2007 - Part I

A lot of people have asked me about my trip and there is just so much that it is hard to say it all in one conversation or to even know where to begin. So, I'm going to try to post something about everyday of the trip over the next week or so. We left Thursday, February 22 and returned Saturday, March 3.

Day 1: Making it to Logan Airport was the easy part. Leaving...well, that was a bit harder. We made it through security all right, but we found out that they had some room on a 3:00 flight so they were going to move some of us to that one an hour earlier. However, our regular 4:00 flight got delayed to five and that would have made us miss our flight to Budapest. So, suddenly they were faced with trying to get all of us onto that three o'clock flight. Then we find out that the three o' clock flight is delayed until four. At first they only managed to get all of the boys on the flight. Then they added me, then Catey, and then Mrs. Urban. That was all they had on there when it was time to board. We were all sitting in the plane waiting and waiting when slowly one by one the rest of the girls got on. Finally, Mr. and Mrs. Whissel were at the front of the plane waiting to see if they could get on because it might be too heavy. Everyone made it on except Slavic and Natan. We spent less than ten minutes in the JFK airport so I never actually caught a glimpse of New York City. Oh well, that'll have to wait for another day. Needless to say we were relieved to see Slavic and Natan make the connecting flight to Budapest. It took a while just to get off the ground. We had to wait in line for the runway! One lady on the plane got sick and had to leave so we were forced to wait while they unloaded the luggage to find hers. On international flights it is the law that if you get off your luggage must go with you. Other than uncomfortable chairs and a sketchy tv show, the flight was pretty unevetful. Unfortunately there wasn't much sleep to be had, for the girls anyway. From what I saw the boys had the shut-eye factor pretty under control.

Day 2: Our first sight on waking up was us flying into the sunrise...not a bad way to start the day. We arrived in Budapest around 10:30 in the morning to discover that several people had missing luggage. Catey, Jen, Tiana, and Mr. Kempe were all missing at least their clothes if not their donation suitcase as well. There wasn't much we could do, so when Pastor Paul met up with us we headed out to find Peter. Right next to the train station is supposedly the largest mall in Europe (never expected that to be in Hungary). You had to go underground to enter it and outside the glass doors didn't feel so safe. Inside was incredible. There was a waterfall three stories high with hanging plants and a pool at the bottom right as you enter. We ate lunch there. Not being able to speak a word of Hungarian, Katharine and I went for nice safe Burger King. To order you just point and hand over your money. Just as a side note - Hungarian is about the second hardest language to learn in the world and is related to no other language except perhaps distantly to Finnish. Makes me want to learn it. :) After two hours of wandering around we had only seen about 1/3 of this mall. It was huuuuuge. Funny thing is most of the stores in it were really, really small. The train stations was attatched to the mall so we didn't have far to go. We discovered that in Hungary you have to pay to use the bathrooms and grab your toilet paper BEFORE you go in. Just what you wanted to know, right? We established a guard over our pile of luggage. Alan Cook and Marlow had joined us by now. We had Sam Crook, fresh out of boot camp, and Slavic on each end. Other than one blunt "who are you people?" we were pretty much left alone. Hungary is the most likely place to have things stolen so we have to watch at all times. Everyone had made it onto the train safely and were all settled in when we found out that they had double booked every seat in our car. There were random Ukrainian men coming up to us and letting us know that we were in their seats. Then we found out that the car we were in would be dropped at the border so we had to switch all of our luggage and ourselves while the train was in motion. That was an experience. I actually got about three hours sleep on the train in the oddest position. Getting through the security at the CSOP train station was nearly so nerve racking this time. In fact I wasn't nervous at all. It was more like routine. On the bus ride to Nehemiah House we saw a rather interesting sight. There was a truck on the side of the road and farther up a cow lay on it's side. Not something you see every day. Around 10:30 Friday night we arrived at our destination. There was warm dinner waiting for us and comfortable room. However, we five girls discovered something interesting about the water. It turns off every night between 11 and 1 because of the filter system. Makes brushing your teeth a little difficult. This year our room was on the third floor so it was a hall to get up there. All five of the girls shared one suite of rooms and the boys along with Mr. Kempe were right next to us. Also on our floor were the Whissels and Alan Ross.

New Political Blog

I have started a new "political" blog in light of the recent developments in a certain Canadian town. If you would like to check it out you can go to my profile or www.mypersonalpolitics.blogspot.com.

Egg Drop Contest

Today in physics class we had an egg drop contest. Our goal was to create an 3"x 3"x 3" container that could be dropped from various heights while holding an egg and not have the egg break. We were allowed to use any material that wasn't thicker than the cardboard of a cereal box for the outside and anything we could think of for the filler. Many thanks to the guys for their creative and sometimes crazy ideas.

Idea #1

Testing

Strike two!

Building from the bottom up.

The nest.

Almost there.

Closing the hatch.

Tada!!! Finally!! The finished product!


The Competition


Tom's....uh....thing?

Mrs. Harvell's 30 minute creation (even the teacher was getting in on it)

Kevin's foam cushion

Jarin's rocket

And finally there is Kyle's. Look familiar? Must run in the family.

Slight modification to Tom's. His design was a bit...last minute.


Jarin adds a little extra padding.

Will it survive a fall off the balcony?


The Winner.....congratulations Kyle!

The secret is revealed.

Cottonballs and Playdough?

Sad to say, mine was the first to go. It had a test run from the ceiling and so when we did several smaller falls in the competition it was not made for it and bounced too much. The block of foam worked suprisingly well. The rocket was doing ok until Mrs. Harvell's box landed on it. Then they were both done. We aren't exactly sure when Tom's broke. If it wasn't broken before he pulled off the tape then the accidental stab with a knife did it in. Amazingly enough one of Kyle's wacked ideas actually worked. We'll never hear the end of it.....