Oh! The Places You'll Go! -- Dr. Seuss

This week at school it is Book Week. This means that for one period a day we get to read our favorite book to our students rather than holding a regular lesson. I originally figured the "right" thing to do was to read the Bible, as God's Word has helped me and guided me through so much of my life, it has been the book that I live by, the words that I turn to in hurt and in joy... it is.... my FAVORITE book.

However. I realized shortly afterwards that we were more meant to choose something that was a bit more "fun" and perhaps... "fictional."

I thought back to all the books I have read in life, and recalled one that I quite loved when it was read to me in 2nd Year Engineering. It is, as you may have guessed, "Oh! The Places You'll Go! by Dr. Seuss."

Although there is no possible way for me to fill a 45 minute lesson with it, I felt like sharing it with you... perhaps as a fun way to look at life, a light hearted way, knowing that we are all on that journey I spoke about a few posts ago. It may be a small blessing to you, so do have a read.

Oh! The Places You'll Go, by Dr. Seuss.

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

You’ll look up and down streets. Look’em over with care. About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.” With your head full of brains and your shoes full of feet, you’re too smart to go down a not-so-good street.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

You won’t lag behind, because you’ll have the speed. You’ll pass the whole gang and you’ll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you’ll be best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest.

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You will come to a place where the streets are not marked. Some windows are lighted. But mostly they’re darked. A place you could sprain both your elbow and chin! Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can you lose? How much can you win?

And if you go in, should you turn left or right…or right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite? Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it’s not, I’m afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

Waiting for a train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come, or the rain to go or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow or waiting around for a Yes or No or waiting for their hair to grow. Everyone is just waiting.

Waiting for the fish to bite or waiting for wind to fly a kite or waiting around for Friday night or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake or a pot to boil, or a Better Break or a string of pearls, or a pair of pants or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Somehow you’ll escape all that waiting and staying. You’ll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing. With banner flip-flapping, once more you’ll ride high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you’re that kind of a guy!

Oh, the places you’ll go! There is fun to be done! There are points to be scored. There are games to be won. And the magical things you can do with that ball will make you the winning-est winner of all. Fame! You’ll be famous as famous can be, with the whole wide world watching you win on TV.

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And when you’re alone, there’s a very good chance you’ll meet things that scare you right out of your pants. There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that can scare you so much you won’t want to go on.

But on you will go though the weather be foul. On you will go though your enemies prowl. On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl. Onward up many a frightening creek, though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak. On and on you will hike. And I know you’ll hike far and face up to your problems whatever they are.

You’ll get mixed up, of course, as you already know. You’ll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go. So be sure when you step. Step with care and great tact and remember that Life’s a Great Balancing Act. Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix up your right foot with your left.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

Don't forget.... today is your day :) Where are you going in life?
More soon, perhaps after Thailand next week!

Thank you for the prayers, these are very difficult times.

In Christ,

Cori

God's Promises

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)

When I first thought about God wiping away our tears at the end of the age, I thought of Him wiping away tears that have been born of our struggling and the strife that we endured while on earth, the trials and suffering that we went through, the sorrows, the pain...I see so much suffering here, and I struggle to cope with how it fits into God's plan. The truth is, one day, if they trust in Him, they too will feel the warmth of this promise.

Although this is reason enough to want to trust in Christ (eternity with Him rather than eternity without Him), perhaps the reason we will be in tears when we come before God in Heaven is that we will see the life we could have lived and the things we could have achieved for His glory at our full potential at every moment. We will see what we could have been and could have done if we had had the courage and faith to step out and claim it. I often think of this.

Enoch was translated straight to heaven because he “walked with God”. I always wondered what that meant, and recently I found out that it means he lived a faithful and obedient life with God. If every Christian obeyed God.. in every step of their lives — this world will be different. A LOT different. But let's think smaller for a minute, what would your DAY be like if you obeyed God TODAY? How much different would it be? Would it change your future?

Someday we will all stand before God, and at that point, He, the God of the Universe, will wipe away our tears as Christians. I personally want Him to wipe tears of joy from my face, as it is my desire to serve Him first. I personally, am looking forward to no more pain...

Can I ever really understand why there is so much suffering?..... no.
But one thing I do know is that God is there, He always is.

"Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest." (Joshua 1:9)

Prayers are needed,

In Christ,

Corinne

Korean Food

As most of you know, I live with a lovely Korean woman named Hannah Lee. We are quite close as we are about to travel to Thailand in two weeks for term break.

Nonetheless, Hannah often has interesting Korean food here, and today, she gave me some orange stringy stuff that I readily ate trusting her, and enjoyed! About 5 minutes later I asked her what it was, and she didn't know the english name, but described it as.... "10 legs and octopus with triangle head".

I googled it, and behold.... my dinner.

Well.... life here is definitely interesting.

Just felt like sharing.

More soon, perhaps next week, or after Thailand.

In Christ,

Corinne

Is Life a Journey?

It is certainly a statement that is thought about by many, and in most cases is challenged profusely by those who struggle to understand where they are going... You may believe that it is an illusion to think that we are traveling somewhere...perhaps we are just spinning around in circles experiencing the same things in different lights.. or you may prefer a different image, a ladder to be climbed or a game to be won, or... if life is a journey at all, we are just sitting on a conveyor belt that moves relentlessly from birth to old age but there is very little that we can do about it...we are just here to go through the motions and make the most out of it.

Sometimes I think about the roots of words, where they came from...after some consideration of my many years of French classes (my teachers would be proud), I realized that the word "journey" is in fact connected with the French word "jour" which means "day." ... The distance you can travel, in a day.

When you think of life in the light of daily walks, it doesn't seem so intimidating does it? Sometimes, especially here, with the mixed feelings of sorrow and joy I have about finishing my term, I am overwhelmed by the days that remain, wondering how I am going to be able to successfully walk through each of them... I am comforted by a verse in light of what is happening in my life.

"In his heart, a man plans his course, but the Lord directs his steps." (Proverbs 16:9)

When I think of this verse, and how I planned my course for coming here, how I expected certain things to happen, certain things not to, I have realized, that although in my heart, I have planned a way that I would like to go, God is the one putting my steps in place...and sometimes that leads us to a completely different conclusion.

How is it possible then, to allow God this ability in your life, to allow him to direct your steps? I believe you need to be on the "journey".... you need to be on that daily walk with Him, no more, no less, just one day, and then one more... and then one more, as He wills, and as He directs. Otherwise we get ahead of ourselves don't we?

I suppose I am beginning to realize how I have walked this last year, looking back, can't say that the path has been straight, as I have fought with God on quite a few issues! Nonetheless, I am looking forward to finding out His conclusion rather than my own. My goal today.... letting God direct my steps. What is directing yours? What is pulling you where you are going? Money? Fame? A promotion? Why are you on the journey you are on? Where are you going? Have you really any idea? Where will it lead you?

Why not let go for a day, let God direct your steps...you may be blessed with where you end up.

Enough for today, and thank you for your prayers, it has been a difficult time.

In Christ,

Corinne

Year 7 and 8 Khulna Field Trip

So this past week I had the pleasure of taking my first class field trip out to the Khulna area. It was a beautiful trip out into the country and I really enjoyed getting to know the kids better. I really appreciate that we have such wonderful kids at Grace School. I appreciate each of them and it is a pleasure to be able to give a year of my life to serving with them.

During our trip we managed to visit a few places.

1) Rishilpi - a local village project that has been established for nearly 35 years now by an Italian missionary family. Rishilpi has developed into a place that provides education, handicrafts, work and medical care for entire villages around them. It was amazing to see that they were not a charity, but have provided work and hope for many thousands of Bangladeshi's around them.

2) The Father of the Nation ( Sheikh Mujibur Rahman) Nation monument. Sheikh was named the Father of the Nation in the Bangladesh constitution in 1972. Here was his grave and a small museum about his life and how he gave his life and sacrificed his family to free Bangladesh.

3) Michal Madhusudan Datta - National Poet of Bangladesh; He is renowned for his literary contribution to Bangladesh, as he turned Christian from his former life as a Hindu and is responsible for translating the Bible, and other literary works such as the Illiad. We were able to visit his house and monumental museum to learn more about his life.

4) The SUNDARBANS!!! Clearly the highlight of the trip. The Sundarbans are a national park and are one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World. It was beautiful and we had a great deal of fun wandering through the forest!

I have attached some photos of the trip if you would like to see them. Highlights? Other than the sight seeing, there were some pillow fights, crazy hair styles, and fun evenings with the girls.... Sociological difficulties? I saw a man being beaten in the streets while his wife and child tried to pull the police officer off of him....

It was an interesting trip and I am happy to say that I have a bit more of an understanding of life in Bangladesh now that I have seen villages and other cities... It was wonderful to stay with and see the CSS center and how they are doing their best to share Christ with so many lost souls...

I will keep my deeper thoughts to myself for now and invite you to see some photos.

Thank you for your prayers, they are needed during some rough times here.

In Christ's love,

Cori

Dad's thoughts of the day....

So I was talking with my Dad today and he passed on three bits of wisdom...

1) Elephants are the only animals that cannot jump...

2) Banging your head against a wall burns 150 calories an hour (who would do this for an HOUR!!??)

and the best of all:

3) A cockroach can live for NINE DAYS without it's head before it starves to death...... creepy.

Ok that's all for today :) I am heading off to Khulna on a Year 7 and 8 field trip for a week, and will share some pictures when I am back.

Thank you for each of your prayers, they are needed and appreciated.

In Christ,

Corinne

Glass houses

Just recently I completed my first assembly of this year. We were asked who our favorite Bible Story was, and then were given a chance to share that with the school. Mine is found in John 8: 1-11:

¹But Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. ²At dawn he appeared again in the temple courts, where all the people gathered around him, and he sat down to teach them. ³The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group ⁴and said to Jesus, "Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. ⁵In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?" ⁶They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him.
But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger.⁷When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "If any one of you is without sin, let him be the first to throw a stone at her."⁸Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground.
⁹At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. ¹⁰Jesus straightened up and asked her, "Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?"
¹¹"No one, sir," she said.
"Then neither do I condemn you," Jesus declared. "Go now and leave your life of sin."

This passage has always been one of my favorites...

Here, Jesus is the ONLY person who could have thrown stones... the only one without sin... yet He doesn't. He rather uses this as an opportunity to show everyone there that they are NOT to point fingers at others when we are no better ourselves.

This is something that is very difficult for me.

To be honest, I have had to deal with some very difficult relationships with those that I interact with here in Bangladesh. This term I tried to enter with a renewed heart, simply not jumping on someone when they have done something wrong, but rather, humbly approaching them realizing that I too make mistakes.

How often in our lives are we SO quick to tell someone else they are wrong but lethargic in our own admission of guilt?

Do you ever wonder if being egotistical leads to false assumptions of what a situation may entail? Does it not cause us to judge the situation at the outset rather than allowing it to unfold?

Labeling ourselves as all knowing, pointing fingers or throwing stones will only cause pain in our own hearts, whether we are right... or whether we are wrong.

Perhaps our lives could benefit from a little bit more humility... I claim to have very little of this... however, I can say that I have never known a human, humble or high, that when life's end neared, regretted holding their stones...yet I have known more than one, myself included, who has regretted throwing them.

Why not try to hold onto your stones this week?

Serving Him in Bangladesh,

Corinne

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Oh! The Places You'll Go! -- Dr. Seuss

Posted by: Corinne

However. I realized shortly afterwards that we were more meant to choose something that was a bit more "fun" and perhaps... "fictional."

Oh! The Places You'll Go, by Dr. Seuss.

Congratulations!

Today is your day.

You’re off to Great Places!

You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head.

You have feet in your shoes.

You can steer yourself any direction you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the guy who’ll decide where to go.

And you may not find any you’ll want to go down. In that case, of course, you’ll head straight out of town. It’s opener there in the wide open air.

Out there things can happen and frequently do to people as brainy and footsy as you.

And when things start to happen, don’t worry. Don’t stew. Just go right along. You’ll start happening too.

Oh! The Places You’ll Go!

You’ll be on your way up!

You’ll be seeing great sights!

You’ll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.

Except when you don’t.

Because, sometimes, you won’t.

I’m sorry to say so but, sadly, it’s true that Bang-ups and Hang-ups can happen to you.

You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And your gang will fly on. You’ll be left in a Lurch.

You’ll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant bump. And the chances are, then, that you’ll be in a Slump.

And when you’re in a Slump, you’re not in for much fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.

You can get so confused that you’ll start in to race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless place.

The Waiting Place…for people just waiting.

No! That’s not for you!

Except when they don’t. Because, sometimes, they won’t.

I’m afraid that some times you’ll play lonely games too. Games you can’t win ‘cause you’ll play against you.

All Alone!

Whether you like it or not, Alone will be something you’ll be quite a lot.

And will you succeed?

Yes! You will, indeed!

(98 and ¾ percent guaranteed.)

Kid, you’ll move mountains!

So…be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray or Mordecai Ale Van Allen O’Shea, you’re off to Great Places!

Today is your day!

Your mountain is waiting.

So…get on your way!

Don't forget.... today is your day :) Where are you going in life?
More soon, perhaps after Thailand next week!

Thank you for the prayers, these are very difficult times.

In Christ,

Cori

1 comments

God's Promises

Posted by: Corinne

“And God will wipe away every tear from their eyes; there shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” (Revelation 21:4)