Eureka!

This post is basically for those who actually follow this blog (I assure you that your numbers are very very few).
One of my greatest pet peeves is when someone starts something (ie. a blog) and doesn't finish it. I know of many people who have started blogging and, over time, have stopped. As much as I hate to admit it, I myself am more or less in that category, since I've been gone for a while now.
Here's why:
After many middle and high school years spent working closely with HTML codes of MySpace and, well, here, I've figured out why I've always been so attached to creating places for myself on the web: I've recently started a website as an outreach ministry to people in Russia, combining my web-savvy and translation skills. I hope to get it a full-blown portal by this summer, so I'll give you more on that later (erm...yes).

Also, I've finally, after a really long time, figured out a purpose for my writing. I've been doing a lot of figuring out of what in the world I want to do in life (I think this comes as a standard college thing), and I've turned to various modes of self-figure-outing (including inventing new words). I discovered, through various methods (personality tests and just plain ol’ knowledge of self) that I’m a “teacher”. I mean, just look at what I do for a living: I tutor math and science 5 hours a week, lead a worship band (teaching technicalities of music to jr. high kids), and many other things like that. I’ve been trying to figure out how my teaching relates to my writing, and I think I finally know: remember when, earlier last summer, my hard drive crashed and I thought I was going to lose all my work? I was all upset not because I had lost precious memories but because nobody has gotten to read anything of what I’d written.

Boo, right? I myself sometimes find it a laborious task to go back through my old writings, but there's a lot of stuff there that could be interesting for other people to know (ie. my children, perhaps, and other posterity). Also, while I've been interested in the art of writing itself (I've read many good books on the art of writing and the technicalities of writing elements--character inner journeys, etc.), I've never quite made that into anything substantial. I mean, I do have 2000+ (yes) pages of fascinating ranting (it is fascinating because a large part of it is focused on how an individual develops as a person--I started writing soon after I became a Christian, so my teaching was God's special spiritual gift).

Here's my break: my writing is not of creative or artistic value, it is of informational and educational value. I say things straight. And since I'm also a die-hard Christian, I enjoy reading "self-help"-type books and theological works (by the way, may I recommend "Confession" by Leo Tolstoy? His smallest and least known yet his most powerful work, in my opinion). And, as a Biology major and math/science tutor, I have an interest in science, Creation science, what some might call "Darwinian" medicine, and the like.

And now finally the picture connects: teaching + writing + translation + theological research + knowledge of science + web design = me starting a web ministry for people in Russia where real questions get answered. I know (since I'm Russian) that about 60% of people in Russia claim to be Christians but only roughly 2% even know what "being a Christian" really entails! (And this is "being an Orthodox Christian/attending church/praying/etc. "Being a follower of Christ" would have a percentage of, uh, 0.000...2? You can imagine.) Thus, if people had easy access to information, they would at least KNOW what their options are!

It just so happens that most of the resources the Russians have right now come from (guess where)...big surprise, right? Here from the dear ol' US of A! I've done abundant research on websites of Orthodox churches and ministries, and they all list the same thing: "Click here to read a compilation of articles by John Piper!" or "Billy Graham's teachings translated!" or, even better, "Daily devotionals by Oswald Chambers!" (I love Oswald Chambers.) Bad part: translation. The Russian Bible was originally written in Old Slavonic, which isn't even an actual spoken language (you can say the same for the original Latin bibles). Currently, Russia doesn't have a single most popular NIV-type translation of the Bible, and how many people my age do you know who would willingly read the KJV? (I know there are some who think KJV is better for various reasons, but in the interests of getting the Gospel message across I think it's safe to say that the best way to do that is through a text that people can actually understand).

So what I'm doing is I'm re-writing and translating and coming up with questions and articles that people in Russia might want to read. After all, this summer at CIY I did get that prophetic assignment: "Go to a foreign country for 2 months"...and now I know exactly WHY I have to go there.

I might be only 18, but my picture connects just all too well. If you follow God you know that you have your life straight as well. It's not always easy, but it's always worth it. For sure.

--E.A.