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chrisdavisoneword
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Name: Chris
Birthday: 6/8/1985
Gender: Male
Interests: I am interested in Advertising and anything that goes with it. Graphic design, photography, and yes...I can even include watching TV here.
Expertise: Once again. Advertising. And since I bought a house...painting is growing on the list.
Occupation: Marketing and Advertising
Industry: Telecommunications
Message: message me
Website: visit my website
AIM:  davischristopher@mac.com
Member Since:
9/17/2006
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| My computer crashed last week. I finally got it back up and working temporarily (hopefully for good) so I decided to clean out some old files. I came across this "memoir" if you will. I think this still holds true. (sorry it is so long)
Afterthoughts from a Summer in Peru
It has been a month since I returned from the mission field in Peru. The return has been different than I expected. First, I have come to the conclusion that reverse culture shock is worse than culture shock itself. When I was in the Atlanta airport, I was reminded by how pretentious Americans are in many aspects. Teenage girls with hardly any clothes on, cashiers who you have to pry away from doing their nails, store owners who are preoccupied with their cell phones, Ect. Now, this is not to say that all Americans are this way, but many are.
But aside from these things, I have noticed changes within myself since my return. As I get back into a routine, I have noticed that the way I view life itself has had a drastic change. One of the most anticipated activities when I returned was attending church service in the English language at my home church. Ironically, the service was based around the passage in Acts that talks about finishing the race and completing the task that the Lord Jesus has given to me. (Acts 21:13-38) This is a passage that rings all too true for me. Paul left on a calling, knowing only that it was just that, a calling. He knew that there would be hardships, trials and prisons, but he went anyways. Why? Because he knew that he must complete the task of spreading the gospel of Christ. He also knew that those who he was leaving would not see him again. There for, he proclaimed that he was innocent of all blood that would be shed because he had done his job of spreading the Gospel. It is reassuring to know that I am not responsible for saving people, just introducing them to the one who can. Over the summer, there were many people that I wish could have accepted Christ, but it gives me assurance to know that I have done my job.
I have also begun to notice how more aware I am of international cultures and the effect they have on the culture of America. After all, the American culture is essentially a conglomeration of many different cultures rolled into one. But I think that sometimes, we as Americans can forget that we are not the only ones on the planet. We sometimes feel that it is our way or the highway. I will be the first to say that I was that way. We view foreigners as incompetent, some cannot speak the language, many hold low paying jobs and live in the bad side of town. We think that if they cannot speak the English language, then they should not live in and English speaking country. But being on the other side of the fence has shed new light on the way that I think about foreigners that come to this land I call home. To, for once, be the person who cannot speak the language, who does not know the way of life, who does not have a steady place to stay. I mean, this is a country where the people have no concept of the idea of what July 4th means, or have no understanding of the English language. But do Americans know the significance of 28th of July? There are Peruvians who reside in America that celebrate it every year, but not many Americans know how significant it is to these people.
There are many examples of how ways of doing certain task vary in different parts of the world. One large mistake that Americans make when going on the mission field is that they try to “Americanize” the area that they are working in. This is one problem that I faced over the summer and had to change. But that is not just a problem in foreign countries, but also on domestic soil when dealing with the foreign population. One large mistake is that people also think that if someone moves to America, then they must conform to American ways, traditions, Ect. But these people come to America for better jobs, education, and futures; not to forget where they came from. One thing that I have to work on is to adapt to other people and not expect them to adapt to me.
Last, but not least, I have become increasingly aware of God’s work in the world, of how his plan works. Now I do not claim to know his plan, but I am begging to understand this concept of sowing and reaping, as well as how the body of Christ works. Over the summer, I spent my time in research. I did not get a chance to present the gospel, I led no one to Christ, and I did not even share my testimony. I could not speak the language and I relied on others to get me from town to town. But through this, I realized how this played a part in God’s design.
I am not a Spanish speaker, I do not have the gift of sharing in the least, but I am an observant person. I am what you would call “book-smart.” When I signed up for a summer long missions experience, I knew that I would be there to assist only. I lacked many skills that kept me from doing what others could. It was not until the middle of the summer when I was crying to my field supervisor that I realized my purpose on this trip. I was there to observe and write down what I knew about where I was. That was it, plain and simple. When I came to this conclusion, I remember thinking, “this is it, I paid all this money to write for the summer.” But as I said this, my supervisor reminded me that this was as crucial as any other part. You see, to send people to the field for discipleship and to even share the gospel, these people must know where they are going. (Now don’t get me wrong, I know that there are no pre-requisites for sharing the gospel, but in the program that I was working in, this was a large part of it). So I was giving information and creating a presence at that particular site. Unlike most people over the summer who were able to see the fruits of their labor immediately, I was left with the reassurance that someone else would come and reap what I have sown.
I know that I have not even begin to cover what has changed over the past three months with my personality and world view, but I do believe that God is working something great through me. I know that it is not a full time call to overseas mission work, but there are so many different cultures in American that need to be reached just as much. Many people have different ways of reaching these various cultures. Now that I know where my gifts lie, I will be keeping an eye out for more opportunities to use them.
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| Yesterday was the first time in a long time that I went to church on Sunday morning. We were going to go to Rachel's church but we were running late, so we ended up going to the church in North Little Rock where her dad is a preacher. Now don't get me wrong, I believe that he tried on his sermon and he selected a great passage, but he really did not make alot of sense yesterday morning to me...maybe I was just not getting it.
While he was preaching, I read a litte bit from 2 Kings (or 1st, not quite sure at the moment) 19:4. Elijah had just been through quite a bit in his life and in is faith that his faith began to dwindle and he began thinking that he was not worthy of any of this blessing he was recieving. So he basically withdrew from society and left his friends (his servant) and stayed in the Word of God. God gave him just what he needed from time to time durring this period to get him buy; and when God knew he had enough, he sent him back out. This is the true meaning of refuge and strenght. Like a baby relies on his mother to get him through hard times, so we should rely on God.
We have this drilled in our head to "Fully Rely on God" from the time we first attend church. But sometimes it just hits us like a brick upside the head. Maybe I just need to withdraw from things sometimes and let God remind me why I am here on this planet.
Rachel and I got a dog yesterday after Church. He is a yellow lab pup (6 months old) and we are going to name him Gunner. We haven't brought him home yet because we don't have the gate finished on our new privacy fence. Rachel's Mamaw and Papaw bought us a privacy fence for one of our wedding gifts. Well, it had alot to do with Emily, but we enjoy it all the same. We have not finished it because Mamaw had to have surgery on her back in the middle of it all and Muzzleloading season started last weekend, so guess where papaw is? Mamaw is back to her old self if you wanted to know!!! Soon, she will be jumping and clicking her heals like a 20 year old...well maybe not.
For those of you who could not make it on Friday night to Brad's going away party. We had a blast. For those of you who were there....I don't think my hamburger was quite done. I got kinda sick saturday morning. But oh well. I felt good enough to join a gym on saturday though. Okay, maybe I was sicker than I thought...LOL
There are strange noises comming from my fridgerator. Like someone is knocking from the inside. ;) | | |
|  | Currently Watching
Jury Duty
By Pauly Shore, Tia Carrere, Stanley Tucci, Brian Doyle-Murray, Abe Vigoda, Charles Napier, Richard Edson, Richard Riehle, Alex Datcher, Richard T. Jones, Sharon Barr, Jack McGee, Nick Bakay, Ernie Lee Banks, Shelley Winters, Dick Vitale, Billie Bird, Jorge Luis Abreu, Siobhan Fallon, Gregory Cooke
see related |
I have begun to come to the realization that God has a sense of humor. Well, okay, I have always known this, but it has become even more true lately. Sometimes, God just has to put us in our place and let us know who is boss. So here is the story behind this revelation: On friday, I put a post on what is going on in my life at the current moment (see previous post). God has truly blessed me beyond reason and I am truly thankful for that blessing. Rachel, Emily, and I all went to get tuxedo styles picked out for the wedding, my parents went with us because they are helping to pay for them. After that, we went to pick out a flower girl dress for Emily, then Rachel and my mom sent my dad, Emily and I to sonic and the park while they picked out wedding dresses. We all met back up after a while and we were exhausted. Supposedly, wedding dresses are heavy, and when you try on 10 of them, you start to get tired. Emily had smashed her finger in a glass door at David's Bridal and cut it, so she was in a bad mood and all. So Rachel goes home and I go home. When I get home I go and check my mail box because it has my name on the outside of it. I really enjoy checking my mail at my new house. Not quite sure why I get such enjoyment out of it, especially after what I find in there.... Drum Roll Please......... Jury Duty Need I say more. Chris | | |
| So, It seems that once you leave school, you half-way drop off the face of the earth to some people. People who you once saw every day or every other day, you are lucky if you even see and email from every month. So, that bieng said, Here is what I am up to now. When I graduated in May, I kept working at Texas Roadhouse and had to complete and extra class in the summer for my graduation to be finalized. I got engaged to Rachel Bunch on May 22nd and was told to find a job before we could set a wedding date. So find a job I did... On July 11, I started at a place called Communications Supply Service Association as the Marketing Director. Not a bad position for fresh outta college. I design the website, newsletters, co-coordinate the bi-annual conferences, and anything else that a marketing person would do. I like it alot and it pays just enought to pay the rent, or buy a house...which I did. On September 8th Rachel and I became homeowners in Cabot, AR. We bought a 1000 sq. foot house that was built in 1984. It was in really good shape and all. It needed a few things done to it that we are currently working on right now, but it is home. (Well, to atleast me anyways). Rachel will move in on January 6th, that is when we are getting married. We are getting married at LifeLine Baptist Church in Little Rock and then going honeymooning in Lake Tahoe, NV. Life is treating me good and God keeps providing for the three of us. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention, Somewhere in the midst of all this going on, I turned the ripe old age of.....21. Yeah, I'm getting old! | | |
| For those of you who were interested in finding out more about the book excerpt in my last post. The book is called the Seven Principles of Making Marriage Work. You can click here to see more about the book and to read the whole first chapter. Enjoy. Chris | | |
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