"Saturday Night's Alright... (Updated 12/22/15)

... for Fighting." Well, not really. I just needed a title that related to the day I'm writing this.

     This weekend post is brought to you with the sponsorship of..."Slow Saturdays, your source for getting thing done since the beginning of time," in partnership with "I'M GOING TO SEE STAR WARS TODAY SO I NEED TO DO THIS NOW!" Yep, the foggy weather has settled in and I need to get some things typed up before I forget about it all and bask in the glow of celluloid and inter-stellar swashbuckling.

     This post is partially a continuation of the Q&A post from a few days ago. I thought of a few more topics to write about but didn't get them finished in time before the post went live. So the next three are just topics I thought of that people might be interested in knowing about.

Bible Study:
     I've written a little bit about Bible study but not at length about what it means to prepare or lead it. This is that write-up.
     I learned early on in the process that preparation is a big part of leading the study. The book I'm using was printed by Intervarsity Press. Considering that, the questions are written for people whose primary language is English. That means difficult words and word order are standard fare. For each lesson, I need to go through each question and rephrase or, in some cases, rewrite it to make it easier to understand. This is essential to help my translator understand it. Translating word-for-word makes for a confusing question at best. Usually, I need to split long questions into two or three and then simplify each of them.
     I found that if I didn't do that, it was the quickest way to a frustrated translator and a confused group. In planning for the next study, I will prepare the questions ahead far of time. I'll probably take a Saturday afternoon and go through the whole book to edit/rewrite the questions.
     Leading the group has been an interesting process to say the least. It's not much like leading the young adult's class at Covenant church. For one, these people like to talk. Especially if they understand the question and have a strong opinion about it. Several times I've had to interrupt a conversation so we could finish on time. I've had to learn to ask and then re-ask some questions to get them thinking. For simple questions (like listing information given in a passage), I need to break the passage down and ask "What does verse N tell us?" Otherwise, they have to scan the whole passage looking for the answer before translating it and speaking and it wastes a lot of time.

     Since the study is in English and Russian, there is a slowness associated with the translation process. I first ask the question in English. Then it gets translated. The attendees need to then think about their answer and decide if they will answer in English or Russian. If it's in English, they need think about how they will give their answer and what words they will use. Then, since it's rarely perfect English, I need to translate it in my head and add any missing words. There is no chance to zone out and stop listening for a moment. 

     Overall, it's been a great experience teaching this group. I'm glad I could do it. Many of the questions weren't easy. They were challenging and helped people think about their priorities and the foci of their lives.
     This week was the last meeting for our study of Ecclesiastes. It's been an interesting study. Some of the Christians in the group didn't like it because of the constant "everything is meaningless." It really is a book for people who need to see that life really is meaningless without God. Pastor Max suggested it as a good place to start. Fortunately I have two other books we can do that aren't nearly as depressing. As I got better at preparing the lessons, it started to work more smoothly and we were able to get past the depressing parts. 

I told you Ukraine was Western. We even have the same soy sauce.

     I also prepared dinner for the last meeting. That required a last-minute shopping trip on Thursday morning. One of my favorite meals is fried-rice-and-ham. It's been a family tradition since I was little. My mom didn't prepare it for us. It was something we went to visit my dad's friends, Chuck and Paula Grose, for. Usually after Thanksgiving or Christmas, when there was a big ham for dinner, it would get prepared with the leftovers and we'd all gather again for some post-holiday festivities. Over the past few years I've learned how to cook it too but never made it for myself until I got here. I tried it back in September but didn't have soy sauce to complete it. It really needs it. Alternatively, I could have put Worcestershire sauce on it (because they have it here) but I prefer the soy sauce. When I found this bottle in the store, it had been sitting on the shelf for so long that it had collected a layer of dust. Fortunately it doesn't expire until 2018. I'll definitely be making it again.

Attempt number two. It was a lot better this time.

     And now, for your viewing pleasure, my version of fried-rice-and-ham. Make sure to turn on your computer's Smell-O-Vision for the proper taste-bud-teasing, mouth-watering goodness. I substituted a big slab of bacon cut up into small pieces but it was still awesome. Bacon makes everything good. And if you're interested, here is the recipe I used. Yes, Mom, I even put half of a big onion in there. :) I fried it up with the bacon at the beginning. It's like it wasn't even there. I might even try some green things in the next batch.

Students at church:

     Over the past few weeks, we've been seeing a few people from the camps and English club coming to church. So far, two people from Bible study have come to church. One on a regular basis. Another two from camp this year have visited a few times. That's the kind of fruit I have been hoping to see in my time here. I'm not certain of their personal spiritual state or where they are with salvation. One professes in Bible study to be a Christian and prays regularly. The others, I don't know what their faith is like. 

     But it is encouraging to see them at church. Regular contact with other Christians is healthy and helpful for personal, spiritual growth.

Blog posts and song titles:

      This one is just a for-fun bit. Music is a big part of my life. It fills the quiet moments. It's relaxing and exciting and fun. I've mostly listened to classic rock since high school. Some of my other musical tastes are a little eclectic (Celtic, folk, modern bluegrass, and others) and they fill the moments when I want something a little more modern. I'm very much an "Old Time Rock n Roll" kind of guy. And with the way my brain works, I can hear a phrase or even a word and a song can start playing in my head. The concepts for some of my blog posts make me think about songs too. Usually they get to go into the titles. As an example, some of the songs I've referenced in the titles so far are: 

• Saturday Night's Alright for Fighting - Elton John
• The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald - Gordon Lightfoot
• The Long Run - The Eagles
• The Times, They Are A-Changin' - Bob Dylan
• Back in the Saddle Again - Aerosmith
• The Wheels on the Bus - Lydia Ulsaker
• Still Alive - Jonathan Coulton
• Turn, Turn, Turn - The Byrds

The last one is only tangentially related. It takes much of it's lyrics from Ecclesiastes chapter 3. I quoted part of verse 7 in the post title from October 2nd. Maybe I should have played it for the Bible study group. 

     Obviously, not all of those are classic rock songs. But they are a big part of what I've grown up hearing. I add those hints and tidbits as a way of spicing up otherwise boring titles. If I didn't add those in, I'd be having a series of "Tuesday update, Wednesday update, Saturday update" until I stepped off the plane in America. Speaking of which, I've already started thinking of my playlist for that day. On top of it is the one that's playing now on my computer, Jet Airliner by The Steve Miller Band. Instead now, hopefully I can get a song playing in your head while you read the post and make the reading a little more interesting.

Да пребудет с тобой сила.

     So yes, I actually am going to see Star Wars: The Force Awakens. Jon Eide organized a viewing of it in English. I'm going with him and his family to see it tonight at 7PM. I've had just enough time to re-watch parts of the (terrible) prequel trilogy as well as the amazing original trilogy to prepare for it. Homework, if you will. Star Wars has been a part of my life since I was in preschool. I would go with my parents to Bible study at the Sallades and play with the other kids or watch movies. Usually we chose the Star Wars films. We would always fast-forward (on VHS) through Yoda's death-speech. Too much talking for little kids to enjoy. Unfortunately the huge reveal of Darth Vader and Leia never was a big surprise for me. I just grew up knowing it. I'm hoping the new films have twists of that caliber. From the few spoiler-free reviews I've read, I'm certain I'll enjoy it. I might even post some of my thoughts about it afterwards.  

     That's all for now. I need some lunch. I'll talk to you later.

(12/22/15 Edit)
     Now that I've had a few days to process the movie (and with the prodding of Joan Savoy), I've decided to write a few of my thoughts about Star Wars: The Force Awakens. I'll keep it spoiler-free for those readers who haven't had the pleasure of seeing it yet.
     First, the story. It felt like it jived more with the original trilogy (OT) than the more recent prequel trilogy (PT). The OT was about adventure and growth and discovery. But the PT was bogged down by political maneuvering, melodrama, and contrived love stories. The Force Awakens absolutely was in the same vein as the OT; at times to it's own detriment. A sequel can call back to the original without becoming a rehash. TFA was about one plot-point away from being a rehash of A New Hope. However, despite that, it felt worlds-more like a Star Wars film than all three prequels combined. It had adventure, humor, danger, true risks, discovery, and (most importantly) characters that make you want to know more about them.
     The characters in TFA have depth. They have a history that begs to be told. They, for the most part, have motivations that extend beyond "I'm good, you're bad." They are conflicted, struggling, and desperate. They have wants and needs beyond simply winning. But best of all, the villain is far more than a cookie-cutter, cliched, one-dimensional roadblock. He has a history that I want to learn more about. His past isn't entirely clear and it will be interesting to see how he got where he is today.
     The actors, as well, were spot on. While there were the returning stars from the OT, we did get to meet many new actors/characters including the excellent BB-8 droid. I haven't seen a non-living character emote so much since Wall-E graced the silver screen. John Boyega and Oscar Issac bring a levity to their respective characters that is a great call-back to the OT while still being their own characters. Adam Driver as the lead baddie is just as menacing behind the mask as he is without it. His conflicted, desperate and driven (pardon the pun) portrayal of Kylo Ren will absolutely give Darth Vader a run for his position at the top of the bad-guy totem pole.
     Like I said earlier, TFA felt like more like Star Wars than the prequels. I truly appreciate what J. J. Abrams has done to refresh the franchise. He did go slightly overboard with the fan-service and call-backs but it was leaps and bounds better than the PT. I'd recommend TFA to anyone who has seen the OT and wants to have more adventures in the Star Wars universe. It's a fun ride.