The Man Who Sweeps Angkor Wat...

...does so out of religious duty. His possessions are the ones you see in the above photo. He always smiles. I'm not sure if he can hear well; he was difficult to speak with. But his renouned sweetness landed him on the cover of Cambodia's Travel Guide.

Religion and daily life: In my opinion, two things that most Americans make far too complicated.

(No, I don't...but after too many hours in the mosquito filled jungles of northern Cambodia, anything is funny).

I read an atheists' account the other day of how she viewed religion as causing so many of the major conflicts in the world and concluded, "Why would I want to be a part of that?" I can't disagree there. Though, I believe true religion doesn't incite violence. Reading what the pope said this week, though admittingly out of context and through the words of journalists, I think, "Even if one doesn't agree with Islam, and feels a Christian obligation to speak against it, why in the world would a religious leader speak out in a way that offends and creates anger?" To all of the religious sects: What happened to leading by example, kindness, love to all, blessed are the peace makers, etc...

If a Christian wants to go on a mission to help humanity, it's usually prefaced with doctrinal statements, fund raising, speaches, follow-up reports, and organizational support. That's not all bad, mind you, but why has it gotten so... complicated?

"True and undefiled religion is this: to care for widows and orphans in their time of need, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." James 1:27

That's not so complicated.

And about daily life: Why do I get frustrated when my car has a minor repair issue? I didn't do that before.

Why am I catching myself praying for increased finances?! That, I certainly never did before. Why do I cram-pack a diaper bag full of stuff everytime I go out, think that my sons need another pair of shoes just because the weather is changing;

think I need new shirts because the fashion is changing; and get irritated when the washing machine jumbles through the spin cycle too loudly? What's happened to me?

I remember two years ago, having just come back from SE Asia, and going immediately into meetings with contractors to finish building our house. I remember a meeting in the lighting store, and the saleswoman asked me what lights I wanted in the closets and the garage. I looked up at thousands of lighting fixtures, thought about what she said, and actually said outloud and with too much disgust, "Are you serious? I have to choose a light for my closet?" All I could picture were bamboo huts with inhabitants who've never dreamed of electricty.

I couldn't have cared less about which wood grain the blades of our ceileing fans rotated with or what bulb lit up my closet. Yet, today, I thought, "The trim on that entryway light doesn't match the fixture in the hall. We should replace it." What???? Where are these thoughts coming from????

I've been in America now longer consecutively than I have in more than a decade. I guess the old red, white and blue is wearing off on me. It's discouraing...very discouraging to watch myself get caught up in keeping up. Which is why I posted this picture in which I've never looked worse. Granted, I just rode twenty-something miles on a rickety bike through Shan State in Myanamar and was about to go bathing with water buffolo. But still...ugh. I look rough. I need to be OK about seeing me, in my dusty, make-up free, hair un-done state on the web.

The point of this post: I read a blog today that really inspired me. Miranda is a girl I grew up with in St. Louis. We went to church together. She was a lot younger than me, but pure and sweet and beautiful. She's in Equador now-without the doctrinal statements, the fund raising, the follow-up reports and organizational umbrella. She just left, is volunteering at a hostile, learning the language, planning on earning her own dollars, and looking for ways to help humanity. Pure and simple.

Lord, how I miss pure and simple. Help me to be pure and simple in such a complicated country. A country where we have carpet in our houses, for goodness sake... And bless Miranda's love for people in a foreign land.

I've mixed in some pictures of my time in SE Asia because I miss it, and it made me feel good to look at them today. They remind me to be content, feel blessed, and hold on to the peace that comes with simplicity.


I wouldn't trade my life as a mom for anything, but I certainly wouldn't complain if Tim got a foreign embassy job in Calcutta, or Cape Town, or Vietien, or Quito, Equador. Someplace where people laugh with glee when they get three squares a day instead of getting bent out of shape when the machine that washes your clothes FOR you does so too loudly. Oh....what have I become?! Check out Miranda's blog. It's linked on the right side margin of mine. It restored my faith in children of America being untouched by the world. Though crossing these streets in Phnom Penh wasn't always simple, an uncluttered mind and heart is. And Miranda, your heart is beautiful.