Refugee Thanksgiving Dinner

Last night Mike and I had the privilege of hosting tables at a dinner for about 350 refugees in the Houston area that was co-sponsored by our church and Houston Interfaith Ministries. 

Our church's Food Ministry provided a traditional Thanksgiving meal for our guests while church members and staff members of HIM waited tables and provided logistical assistance. We actually had a surplus of church volunteers! What a blessing.

Refugees are different from immigrants. Although they are immigrants to this country, they have come with State Department permission because of political/ethnic/religious persecution in their countries. Our guests were recent refugees, coming within the past year to the Houston area.

Seated at my table were two families: an Iraqui mother with her young son and daughter and a Burmese family consisting of a married couple, their toddler and aged aunt, and a family friend. 

The Iraqui mother, clad in traditional style, had no English ability while her young daughter chattered away in English with no accent and served as translator. I was unable to get the story of the young Iraqui family and wondered where the husband and father was. Dead? Working that evening I hope?

 

The young Burmese father had limited English and told me his family had been in this country for three weeks, but "we are Americans now!" They fled ethnic cleansing in Burma and were assisted out of that country by the United Nations. He is very eager to find a job and was excited about the opportunity for education his young daughter would have here. He told me he and his family are Christians.

El Jefe hosted another Iraqui family and several young teenage boys from Tibet who were somehow separated from their parents in the table assignments. He thought they weren't too sorry about that either!

The Iraqui mother at my table had her daughter ask me if the meat on her plate was pork. When I told the young girl it was turkey, she looked very confused so I told her to tell her mother it was chicken. She didn't eat it but didn't object to her children eating it--which they did with great gusto. Not sure what she really thought, but she seemed overwhelmed by the crowd and her lack of understanding English. My charades weren't that successful with her either, but she thanked me very graciously at the end of the evening.

A children's craft room was set up for the kids and they all seemed to really enjoy that activity after dinner while the adults were entertained by singers and dancers from Bhutan, Burundi, Malaysia and our Hispanic ministry group. It's really hard to follow the African drummers, I'm just saying!

At the end of the evening we taught them to sing and clap along with "Deep in the Heart of Texas", dubbing them all Texans now.

So that's the highlight of my Thanksgiving season. What's yours?

Heat Wave Haiku

Shuttered windows
Warm dark and gloomy rooms
Saving electricity

Dogs napping all day
One hundred six degrees outside
Too hot to play

Grass crisp and brown
Sun hot and bright
Tree branches breaking
No one walking

Alligators, deer, feral hogs
Looking for water
In the suburbs

Tomorrow is promised
Cloud like a man's hand
Will bring relief to us

Dance Your Shoes Off in Houston!

This is amazing! Two thousand people show up in Houston for this Flash Dance celebrating the resurrection of Christ organized by Second Baptist Church, which commissioned the song for the occasion. It's also a fundraiser: everyone wore new shoes and donated them after the dance. The donated shoes will go to local and international mission partners of the church!

So, They're Predicting Snow in Houston

They Don't Have White Christmases In Houston

SO TRUE! It's 75 degrees and we're sipping ice tea on the porch in our flip-flops. Love this!!

Lois Is Now Blooming

This week has been pretty busy and the busy-ness is mostly unbloggable stuff at church and at home.

However, you will be happy to know that Lois the Corpse Flower is finally beginning to bloom and she is just as stinky as advertised!

You can follow her progress here without having to subject yourself to the scent.

Yes, it's a slow news day in Houston!

Houston On Corpse Flower Vigil

Houston media is all a-twitter (#corpseflower) about the imminent bloom of Lois The Corpse Flower at the Museum of Natural Science.

The Museum is remaining open on a 24 hour basis until the thing blooms so as not to disappoint its fans who don't want to miss this very rare event and even (thank God) rarer scent it puts out.

There's a reason is called the Corpse Flower, friends.

The plant, whose real name is Amorphophallus titanum, has been dubbed "Lois" by the museum. She hails from Sumatra, and as of the writing of this post still hasn't bloomed. When she does her flower could be as large as 10 feet high and six feet in diameter. See the photo here for an example.

You can check up on Lois by viewing the HMNS webcam and view tweets about her at #corpseflower. If you have a sensitive nose, watching the webcam is definitely the way to go!

Luncheon Report

Today I met the first woman to become a lawyer in Pakistan. Well, I didn't meet her personally, but she spoke at the sold-out Three Cups of Tea luncheon in Houston today. Greg Mortenson, the keynote speaker and author of Three Cups, introduced her to the crowd.

Portia, Queenie and I were really touched by the words of this sister lawyer. Mortenson said that she had suffered beatings and stonings at the hands of fellow students and teachers for daring to seek an education. Her family also opposed her ambitions but finally she was able to persuade them to grant permission for her to study law. She is the first woman to pass the bar exam in Pakistan and is now doing advanced studies at Montana State University--no doubt with the encouragement of the Mortenson family who lives in Montant. Her goal is to become an advocate for the property rights of women and widows in her country.

Mortenson's speech concentrated on three themes:

• the importance of elders
• the importance of building relationships to build peace
• the importance of the education of women

Mortenson quoted a statistic that only 10% of American children had ever spent any time listening to their "elders" (grandparents or others of that generation) recount stories of the events of their lives and the history they had lived while 99 to 100% of Pakistani and Afghani children have done so. He pointed out that in the US children are becoming ignorant of the history and culture that shapes their society. Listening and building relationships with the "elders" in Pakistan and Afghanistan is a major emphasis for the Central Asia Insitute in its efforts to expand schools and education for girls in the region and is a key to its success.

With respect to the importance of building relationships, Mortenson praised our military leadership for finally "getting it" and placing emphasis on building trust and partnership with the people of Afghanistan as they struggle to resist the forces of the Taliban in their country. Three Cups of Tea is now required reading for those taking counterinsurgency training. He shared an email from General Petraeus, who after reading Three Cups of Tea, summarized what he learned from it: "build relationships, listen and respect the people."

Mortenson criticized the current administration's secret discussions and failure to consult our military leaders and the important Afghan elder groups before setting the policy for a new surge. He fears that plans to bring troops away from the "forward" positions in the countryside and back into the fortified positions in the cities risks the destruction of the relationships they are successfully building in the remote areas more subject to Taliban violence.

"Unless girls are educated, things are never ever going to change," Mortenson said. He quoted an African proverb: "If you educate a boy, you educate an individual. If you educate a girl, you educate a community." According to statistics from UNICEF, in 2000 there were 800,000 children in school in Afghanistan--almost all were boys. Today there are 8.4 million children in school--2.5 million are girls! That is impressive progress. That is the hope for our future together.

The crowd was filled with many Pakistani and Afghan women as well as several groups of high school students. The table next to us was an all-Pakistani or Afghan group and I noticed their enthusiastic response to Mortenson's speech--especially his words about our military's current approach to their mission in that area. The high school students wanted to set up Facebook relationships with their counterparts in Afghanistan, only to learn that the internet wasn't quite as ubiquitous in the mountains of that country as it is on the Gulf Coast of Texas!

It was an inspiring event that renewed my belief in the importance of education--especially for women--in the pursuit of peace.

Patio Dresses: Hot Weather Fashion or Fashion No-No?

Let's start with the proposition that patio dresses should stay on the patio--or porch--and not out in the general public.

It's been so HOT (see the previous post) here in Houston that my brain has been baked sufficiently that I actually went out and bought a couple of patio dresses to wear around the house. What is nice about them is that they do not touch your body and hence are much cooler than shorts, capris or anything else.

SSSHHHHH! Don't tell Portia and Babs who will definitely NOT approve.

And if the general public visits me on my patio and finds me in my patio dress then that is the general public's problem.

What's your favorite hot weather fashion?

Hotter Than Hades Haikus

We've been sweltering down here for a couple of weeks now in 100 degree plus temperatures. The local paper sponsored a haiku contest, and here's my favorite:

Forecast for Houston:
One hundred percent chance of
Cold margarita

The contest inspired me to write a few heat haiku of my own.

New grill is idle
No one will stand over it
Cold salad for dinner

Bea abandons her ball
Stop the presses y'all
Too hot to play fetch

Salvation is nigh
Houston hotter than Hades
Satan leaves town.

Share your heat-inspired haikus in the comments!

Too Eerie

When I heard the news about the shooting at the Holocaust Museum on the radio while running errands, it really gave me a start.

The announcer didn't say where the shootings happened, so I thought it was at the Holocaust Museum in Houston where El Jefe and some of his partners were taking a group of summer law clerks that day for a tour. I was relieved it didn't happen here and very sad it happened there.

El Jefe reported the museum guide asked the group of twenty-somethings if Hitler was German. They all nodded. Then El Jefe responded in German that they were wrong--he was Austrian. That surprised many of them. He said that it goes to show how little even well-educated members of that generation know about WWII. A sad thought in light of the 65th D-Day observance this last weekend.

LBJ and the Holocaust

In the midst of the gazillion details involved in moving to the new house, Mike and I took last night off to attend the Houston Holocaust Museum benefit dinner.

The program featured Senator John McCain, who was given the LBJ Award for Moral Courage by the Holocaust Museum Association. He gave a good acceptance speech, but the interesting thing is what I learned about LBJ at the dinner.

I wondered why an award for moral courage was named for LBJ by a Jewish group like this. Then I learned at the dinner that when he was a young congressman from Texas before WWII, he helped a Jewish constituent from Austin bring 42 Jews out of Eastern Europe, saving their lives.

Apparently he gave the constituent 42 signed US Visas with blank names and told him to go and bring as many out as he could. This was in violation of US immigration policy at the time, which restricted Jewish immigration from Eastern Europe. Some of those who were rescued came to the US through Cuba and Mexico, with LBJ's assistance.

What a good story.

Review: HMNS Exhibit The Birth of Christianity

Last week El Jefe and I had were privileged to have an invitation to preview "The Birth of Christianity, A Jewish Story" exhibit at the Houston Museum of Natural Science because his law firm is one of the sponsors of the exhibit.

It was a great evening. Our friend Dr. Weston Fields, Director of the Dead Sea Scrolls Foundation, and one of the curators of the exhibit, acted as our guide through the artifacts and manuscripts on display.

Those attending seemed to be evenly divided between Christians and Jews, including a number of Israeli officials and the Israeli consul to Houston. It was fascinating to hear a Jewish man in the group giving a tour to a group of his friends. He stopped in front of the Galatians manuscript and gave a brief lecture about "Rabbi Paul", concluding that in his opinion Rabbi Paul was responsible for the creation of Christianity. An opinion shared by many Christian scholars as well!

The most compelling parts of the display, IMHO, are:

1. One of the earliest known manuscripts of the Christmas story from the oldest known Gospel of Luke. What a thrill to see this during the Advent season and think about the many centuries that the faithful have gathered to hear those inspiring words!

2. The earliest manuscript of the Letter to the Galatians, which most scholars believe to be the first book of the New Testament written. The Greek text is so clear that I could read it...if I could read Greek.

3. An ossuary inscribed "Alexander, son of Simon of Cyrene". An ossuary is a box containing the bones of a deceased person. See Mark 15:21:

" A certain man of Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing on his way from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross." (NIV)

The exhibit will be open through April 12, 2009. If you live in the greater Houston area or will be in town during that time, get thee hence to the museum and see it! And bring your friends and family, too.

Snow?

News flash: The weatherman claims there are snow flurries in Houston. I thought that's what hit me on my way to the mailbox just now. It won't stick because it's not cold enough for that.

Still! How fun! Okay, as you were. Back to the song contest.

The Nun Run and Other News

QG tries to keep faithful readers abreast of the latest religious developments in the greater Houston area. Thankfully, this time I don't have anything to report on the Lakewood Church front because the Co-pastors Osteen are out of town on a book tour.

So here's what's up lately:

Best religious news story of the week: Nuns and bikers joined together in the 3rd annual Nun Run to raise $100,000 for a local clinic that serves needy families in the Houston area.

According to the Houston Chronicle, 19 nuns hopped aboard motorcycle sidecars along with 250 bikers to make the 50 mile ride from their convent in Houston to Galveston Island.

You've gotta love Sister Deenan Hubbard, who was sporting a temporary rose tatoo on her arm for the journey! Go, sisters.

First Texas Cardinal: Archbishop Daniel DiNardo of the Galveston-Houston Archdiocese was appointed the first cardinal from Texas by Pope Benedict XVI last week. Inquiring minds want to know if the Vatican will let him wear a cowboy hat instead of the galero?

Gilgamesh Read-In At Ecumenical Chapel: Houston Mayor Bill White will join controversial oil magnate Oscar Wyatt, long-time liberal political activist Sissy Farenthold, and a couple of local politicos at the Rothko Chapel to for a read-in of the entire Mesopotamian epic, Gilgamesh. What a motley crew! This event is in connection with promotion of a new English version of the epic, the original of which is thought to have been lost in the fall of the Ninevah. I guess they didn't listen to Jonah after all.

Another Good Guy Retires

Yesterday afternoon El Jefe and I joined SIL and BIL at the last Astros game of the season. Today's game had the largest attendance of any game in the history of the team including the 2005 World Series games, despite the fact that this season was a dismal one for the 'Stros faithful and the outcome of the game was meaningless for both the home team and the visiting Atlanta Braves.

The fans turned out to honor second baseman and 20 year Astros veteran Craig Biggio, who announced a few weeks ago that he would retire at the end of the season.

We had wonderful seats for the game, thanks to the company SIL works for. Since that company is being sold to another company, this also marked the last time we'd have the chance to sit there. SIL will be looking for a new position after the acquisition, so in a way we were also marking the end of an era for her.

There were lots of plaudits and well-deserved tributes to Craig Biggio, whose reputation in the community is that of a solid family man and good guy--a refreshing change of pace from the media's attention on the "bad boys and girls" of the sports and entertainment worlds. Biggio got a hit, ripped his pants, and scored one of the 3 Astros runs. (Final score: 3-0, Astros) After the game, Biggio took a final run around the perimeter of Minute Maid park to the cheers of the crowd. It was a memorable moment.

Although, as El Jefe observed, being a successful professional athlete is hardly a vow of poverty and abstinence, still the money and attention that go with it have caused the downfall of many a promising career. And these days it's hard to find a player who stayed with a team for 20 two decades, isn't it? When a classy guy like Biggio sets a good example of how to handle the fame and keep important priorities straight, it is good for the community to celebrate and honor him as he makes a graceful exit from his playing career. Thanks, Craig.

We Need Ice, Ice, Baby

Houston's got really hot weather.
Here's a cool place we can get together.
When it's one hundred and five,
You need ice to survive.
Summer's heat is now worse than ever!

Is The Ark Here Yet?

With a month of rainy days in the last 6 weeks, Houston fashionistas flock to buy the newest ladies' footwear.

Ark Wherefore Art Thou?

The rain came down in TORRENTS this afternoon. That makes rain for more than 2 weeks straight.

Swapping my car for an ARK....

Soppily yours,

QG

Faith and Medicine in Houston

Houstonians are more apt to turn to religion for health and well-being than doctors, according to a story in today's Houston Chronicle.

The results of a recent survey on health and well-being revealed that although Houston has one of the great medical centers in the world, 43% of the residents turn first to religious organizations and their leaders as their first source of help in matters of health and well being, while only 21% cited doctors. One local doctor joked that medical information has become "so hard to interpret that you almost do need divine guidance" and that at least you know where your pastor is one day a week. I have to note that the survey only polled 150 people, so some are critical of the results.

Still, this story reminded me that there is clearly a co-operative relationship between medical science and religion in Houston. World-renowned cancer center MD Anderson is creating a new palliative care program for patients in terminal care. My good friend and pastor is leaving his church call this week to work with the doctor in charge of the program to oversee the spiritual component of the program that the hospital sees as an integral part of the care it provides. MD Anderson called him after an extensive nationwide search to fill this new chaplaincy. It is a very exciting opportunity for him, and his ministry will be a blessing to people from all over the world. Godspeed, Rev. Steve.