Healing Rooms of Issaquah - Issaquah, WA - October 2nd, 2013

 


       What an interesting experience today. This is one of the few places where you have to be in it and there isn't observation. When I arrived the leader of the Healing Rooms gave me a form to fill out with who I wanted to pray for. My Grandma has been on my mind lately and how bad her cancer has gotten, so I wrote that down and after included refugees, those who have been furloughed by the government shutdown, and those who have lost loved ones.

   While the men looked over the prayer and the form I filled out I talked to the Pastor of the Bread of Life Church, which is a Chinese Christian Church. We talked about Nanjing for a while since I'd taught in Jiangsu Province last year and I learned they have a seminary there as well as one the Bible Printing centers so whenever someone in their church goes to Nanjing they get them there for cheap. He was a really nice guy and great to talk too.

  After they'd gone over the form I was invited in and the main guy who was the oldest in the group talked about how Christ is like the King the world and all healing happens through him and they are simply ambassadors. After that they anointed me with oil on the forehead and prayed for me and my Grandma.

  It was a powerful experience, at a few places I've been too (including Peru, and some of the Buddhist Temples in China) I've had the experience of vertigo during my time taking place in an event. It is something that always fascinates me because I can never predict it except it is always tied to experiences like this one regardless of the religion it comes from.

   After the prayer the pastor gave me a Bible passage to help ("The Word of God is our food and guide you must live in it to be guided,") he and the guy who was leading said in their own ways. The passage was Isaiah 30:19 - "People of Zion, who live in Jerusalem, you will weep no more. How gracious he will be when you cry for help! As soon as he hears, he will answer you."

   After the leader said to read the Bible, believe in Jesus as God and to be a part of a community of believers. I don't think I'll ever be able to any fully, the possibility sure, but not when there are so many other possibilities out there, some that are much more probable giving me more reasons to doubt than to believe.

   My Grandmother is a believer, one of the strongest believers in Christ I know, so today this really was to honor her. I was grateful for the kindness of the people there and the experience that occurred. I don't see myself ever being a part of that world, my doubt towards all supernatural things is pretty strong, no matter how open I may be to the possibility. Today the possibility is still enough to give a prayer for all those suffering both family and otherwise. 

Mountain Creek Christian Fellowship - Issaquah, WA - September 29th, 2013

 

   My experience at Mountain Creek Christian Fellowship is one of the best ones I've had since starting this blog. This church is active in social justice, you are made to feel welcome while still being given space, both men and women are pastors (which is pretty usual in Free Methodist Community's I have learned) and I got to see how that social justice is tied to their religious faith.

      Due to traffic in Seattle on my way back I was late to the service. Once I arrived it was the last song, testimonies had apparently already happened (as I would learn later, and offerings). The setup was that in the above picture, except there was a light on the stand similar to a Unitarian chalice that was meant to represent the congregation being the light of the world and bringing that light out into the world. I was greeted at the door by a nice older lady who gave me a cup full of goodies...talk about welcomings. She was also very sweet too and didn't mind that I was late.

    After the song the pastor spoke. She also gave the prayer before the two missionaries who had been teaching the required Biblical course that Rwanda, and two other countries in Central Africa require (she was also an ordained minister) and her husband was the Doctor over there teaching surgery at the school that the Free Methodists International organization had set up. It was wonderful seeing the actual action of social justice...quite a few communities I've been to are only focused on internal happiness of the group, making them more like a social club rather than living action in the world. Their spreading their belief in the trinity was part of what they did too, but I noticed it was where they saw their motivation coming from for the humanitarian work in the first place.

    The service took place at the senior center where the Church volunteers a lot, and also uses for throwing clothing drives for homelessness and also working the soup kitchen in Issaquah...this is local social justice and actions of love that I greatly appreciated about this community too. Afterwords I talked to members of the congregation and met the pastor.

    It was there I learned that sometimes the pastor is there at the office across the street. I think I shall be visiting at some point and learning more. In my travels it is always nice to find a community that sees outside itself and lives the good of social justice that religion can inspire. Today's visit was a very nice and unexpected surprise.

Seventh-Day Adventist Prayer Meeting - Bellevue Seventh-Day Adventist Church - Bellevue, WA - September 25th, 2013

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   Initially I was going to name the blog the three main themes that I noticed when I visited the Adventists, but I realize that it doesn't quite capture everything experienced during the service. For this reason I chose just to title what it was. Suffice to say, there is a lot to tell.

    First off the Seventh-Day Adventists are really kind, and not in the overly nice in your face kind of way. I never felt pressured at any point during the service. This was a major plus over the course of the experience and allowed to take in the rest a lot better.

    There were four types of prayers that were done. The first was Thanksgiving which were two songs about how Jesus is returning someday. They were older style, and the preacher on the piano had a good classical voice.

    Next was the overall prayer after reading Psalm 100, which was about thanks which then lead tol the second part which was asking people how God h  ad helped them in their life. From here there was the description of bringing peace after a prayer or connecting with family in a positive way in relation to the Church, physical healing, time with friends or time with family and community.

   The third part was a silent prayer which for me ended up being more of a meditation on prayer. When I thought about all I was grateful for I realized how prayer or meditation does help with awareness. Its like when a person realizes who they are is connected to other people and the world as whole...be it environment and nature, technology, and other human beings. I've had this experience intellectually before and emotionally, this time was a mixture of the two I guess.

    Afterwords there was a final song and then prayer requests where members of the Church prayed for people in the congregation present or away who had requested it. It was beautiful overall except for the darker part. Satan was mentioned a few times at being the responsibility for problems and trials and there was hope of Jesus coming soon and expectation of him coming soon because of all the problems in the world. Both those things are a bit of a red flag for me with any community since Satan and Demons when used are usually used to not help those with mental illness or to treat those who don't have anything psychologically wrong with them like Gay and other LGBTQ folks. It becomes  a very unhealthy way of controlling people and taking advantage of groups that are vulnerable already (not to mention the improbability of demons or Satan in the first place beyond a metaphor or the darker side of ourselves...again, metaphor). This also plays into "End of Times" speak which can lead to drastic unhealthy action in how outsiders or people who have left the church are treated. If the end is coming soon and I HAVE the truth. I must save.  

    Overall I would say it was a positive experience though. I talked to people after and they were kind and again, not pressuring. I do plan on catching an actual sermon one of these Saturdays too...and get a better idea of the beliefs of the Adventists.

My friend Kyle's Wedding - Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral - September 14th, 2013

    What a glorious day it was. This was my first wedding I've attended since my parents remarried and suffice to say this was how I always imagined a wedding to be. Friends and family all there supporting the couple, an organ playing in the back as I waited for it to begin and the processional with the best men and women and the families with their sons and the ring-bearer.

    The wedding was my friend Kyle's wedding and his marriage to his husband. I didn't know Leland all that well (having only met him once), but I saw how happy he has made Kyle since their getting together, which was more than enough for me.

    The wedding was at the Episcopal church so it was an Episcopal ceremony. The priest explained the significance of the marriage (love between the couple shared with one another and with their community) before the two readings were done after the Declaration of Consent. They were about celebration and relationship: Philippians 4:4-9 and Colossians 3:12-16. After which was the sermon before the most powerful part.'

   The sermon talked about how marriage is a blessing to the couple and to the community and how the love exchanged between both is like God with us. It was beautiful and nailed what I appreciate about religion. Religion can bring this between groups and people and add the authority of a group that which benefits the individuals and in how the couple is benefited the group is too.

  Next was the exchanging of vows. The vows were read by the priest and repeated by the couple and seeing the emotion in the eyes and face of the couple...love is difficult to describe but that was one of the greatest definitions before us all.

   First was the Lord's Prayer and after the intercession which was prayers for the couple from the community for the married couple.

  After was the final blessings and final pronouncement of the marriage. Congratulations again Kyle and and his husband! May you know contentment and happiness in your marriage.

   Afterwords I was fortunate enough to make more friends and celebrate Kyle's marriage with his friends and family.  

Don't Panic - Lima Airport Chapel - August 25th, 2013

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     Don't panic. The words rushed through my head as I tried to figure what my next steps would be. I couldn't find my group where we were supposed to meet and couldn't find the area where I was to pick my last tickets to get back to Seattle. I'd already walked the length of the airport and the food sections a few times before finally realizing I needed to calm down. I was just making it worse. Not having gotten much sleep on the plane or the night before didn't help.

     Breathing I followed the signs to the Chapel that Lima airport has. I sat for a while, gathering my thoughts before saying a quick prayer, a hope that everything would turn out. It was amazing how much it centered my mind. After I stopped rushing and stepped back (which the prayer allowed me to do, like meditation) I was able to see the situation rationally.

    Going through one last time I found the right area to get my tickets (it was pretty hidden) and after that was able to find my group and get through security for the flight to Texas.

    Don't panic. It's amazing what comfortable symbols and quite place can do. The chapel was nearly empty when I had gone there and it was totally quite which had allowed me to put everything that was causing out and deal with it rationally.

   In hindsight it was a good experience, I'd been in a storm and found my calm, while also getting to experience a beautiful tiny religious area in the most unexpected of places, Lima Airport.

Tipon - The Water Temple - August 24th, 2013

       The last place we would visit would be Tipon, which is another Water Temple. When we arrived the place was still covered in rain and mist draped over the surrounding, which given our second dose of San Pedro felt like walking into a dream. We walked along while Puma gave us some more history of the place. The place was for ceremony and was a fertility Temple.

   We eventually stopped at the fountain which is pulled from many sources so that there will always be water running at the fountain in case of drought. It was an emergency area which the priests controlled. How the fountain was designed was symbolic and was meant to represent infinite. After Puma explained this we were given free reign to explore the area.

      The first thing I did was take the nearest path up. It was here I could see the main Temple area and what was going on as others explored them. From there I took off down the path that was the most empty and stumbled upon the priests houses.

    I would describe this San Pedro experience as not having much creative stimulation it was mostly just an experience of happiness and feeling warm, even though it was rainy and cold. 

     The houses were huge and I hung out in them for a while just thinking and letting the San Pedro stimulate my mind. I felt like a kid again on an adventure. It was quite cool. After a while I made to rejoin the group once my solitude was upset. On the way I met and talked to my youngest sister and we talked about school and life. It was awesome and a great conversation.

      Lastly I talked to Puma for a bit about the location and learned what the different locations were (such as the houses I'd discovered) and also another area where ceremonies were done.

Heart of the Condor Temple Ceremony - August 24th, 2013

                                               Puma showing the Condor's heart
        The final day of travel around Peru would be one of unexpected adventure. Early in the morning we woke up and made our way up to site that was pretty far removed off the beaten trap. I'll call it the Heart of the Condor Temple since that is the most apparent part of the Temple. It was here we would do a final ceremony and where we would do San Pedro, a stimulant similar to Peyote. What an experience it was!

    First the site itself is very reminiscent of something out of old Britain. With stones placed in certain locations giving emphasis to the rocks shaped like a condor revealing its heart. The area is surrounded by an old stone wall and there are many tiny caves underneath the rocks in the surrounding areas.

    For the ceremony I was the first to go. It was based on how you wanted to grow and recognizing self value. All the symbolism was tied to that since the Condor is supposed to represent enlightenment. Each of us held the rock that was the heart one at at time while Puma did the ceremony. 

     After the ceremony I wandered around for a while. It was a time to observe the effects of San Pedro from a rational perspective. What I found was it was very difficult to do, but that it did seem to heighten senses while at the same time stimulating creative centers of the brain. I saw animals in the minds eye which was pretty cool.

    For me the ceremony ended in a cave simply reflecting and trying to clear my mind. Which was difficult with the San Pedro, but was great nonetheless. It gave me chance to look more critically at myself since my defenses were a little down from the drug. I could definitely understand why it was such an important part of ceremony.

   Historically it also had a darker side as well. If a youth wanted to go to the afterlife he or she could overdose on San Pedro and the tribe would support it. I don't know if taking something will allow going to another world, considering I don't know if other worlds beyond the physical world even exist, so with that it is difficult not to see it as supported youth suicide. Thankfully that isn't done today, but it showed more of the darker side of religious emphasis especially on the young who might not know any better or see beyond how amazing the experience of a religious trip can be.

    Afterwords we all walked back in silence. Suffice to say, it was an intense experience.