It has been a while

Hey friends and family,

I am sorry I haven't updated this thing in awhile. I'm not real great at it.

We finally feel like we can settle down here at last. Today Jillann and I went to pick up our resident registration cards and have officially become legal here in Baku. Lately, since everything has settled down, we feel like we can finally look around at the city and enjoy it. It has cooled down here and is usually about 65-60 degrees and sunny during the day and I don't have to sweat everyday with my mandatory pants on.
Since I last updated, we have found a school and are now a part of the staff of International House Baku. IH Baku is a British affiliate school that has been here in Baku for over ten year.

We work with students one on one and also in small classroom settings. I teach anywhere from 15 to 20 hours a week usually and have been really enjoying working here for the past six weeks.

Since we began, we have been developing relationships with students and our staff who are predominantly of the Islamic faith. They are wonderful people and really great to talk to and get to know. Slowly and surely we seem to be bringing some smiles and laughter out of them which we could tell were not entirely normal things before we arrived.

One specific request that I have for you to lift up is growing opportunities to spend time with local guys. Most of my students are rig workers who have their own families and also girls. The rig guys are 4 weeks on and 4 weeks off the rig so when they are home, it isn't always easy to spend time with them. The girls are mostly my age or a little younger and they have been great to get to know and spend time with. However, I can't just spend time alone with girls so I would really appreciate you lifting up more opportunities to spend with local males.

One other request is that you would lift up one relationship, with R, that is slowly, but surely molding into a great friendship. We don't get to see one another as much I we would like due to our busy schedules, but we try to get together when we can. He works 6 days a week and often times has meetings on the 7th day as well. Lift up his schedule and ask our Father that He would grant us time to spend together. It is possible that R and I may be getting together over this next week. Lift up that opportunity and ask for wisdom and guidance on my part to go about that according to the Father's will.

I miss home a whole lot and some days really wish I was there, but I know this is where I am supposed to be. I am thinking in future posts I will be recording videos to show you my students.

As for now lift up all my classes and ask that they would be given the knowledge of the Truth.

I love you all and hope you are doing well as the holidays approach!

By the way, up above is R... he loves Dr. Pepper. I don't know how we found it here, but we did.

Anyways, I hope you are all doing well and would love to know how you are. Keep me in your thoughts. I will be thinking about you.

Geoff

A lot has happened in two weeks....

So alot has happened in two weeks. Let me fill you in on where we are at.

In finally meeting with and working for the school Jillann and I are assigned to, we figured out a number of things.

When our team first was assigned to come to Baku, our visa work began. At that time, Amanda and Jillann were assigned to work at the Swiss Education center with a local Azeri staff. Bill and I were assigned to work with an American school called Aferin. At that point we were expecting letters of invitation from the school and a visa to work in the country for a year.

After this paperwork was already being worked on, both schools requested that they have a male and a female teacher instead of two of the same sex. So, we switched our teams, making Jillann and I work together at the Swiss, Azeri school and Bill and Amanda work together at Aferin, the American school.

Because the paper work was already processing, by the time we were leaving, even though we were working at different schools, Bill and I recieved our year long visas from the American school while Amanda and Jillann assumed that their visa situation would be worked out by the school when we got there.

SO, last week as Jillann and I sat down to begin working with our new school, we learned that the reason they hadn't gotten the girl's visas yet was because the school was not registered with the government. In order to get visas you must have certain documentation that they did not have, so there we sat, waiting for them to register their school so they could get visas for AT LEAST Jillann. Amanda was now trying to get her visa worked out through the American school.

So, figuring out that the school wasn't even registered was our first big problem. Then, as the week progressed, we seemed to be experiencing curveball after curveball. The Swiss school was wanting to bend or break several requirements in our contract, including having us teaching more than 20 hours a week, working at different schools, not paying us for August and also not paying us period until October 1st. As far as we were concerned we could manage not being given money until a certain time. We are not here for that so it was manageable. But with all the other breaches, we finally sat down with them on Monday and told them about our contractural obligations with our company and how if we couldnt meet those, we would have to find another place to work.

So, we ended our relationship with them and we hope and think that our relationship with our former head teacher, R, will continue. Be lifting him up as I will be calling him tomorrow to see how he is!

Anyways, as of right now, since we had to walk away from our relationship with the Swiss school, the school that was providing housing and visas for the girls, we are now pursuing other options for getting a visa for Jillann and also talking with another school that we feel VERY GOOD about working with. Hopefully, they will be able provide the girls with rooming and some living expense for Jillann and I.

So please be lifting up our situation, we are currently without a school, but have a couple options to work at. Be lifting up our friendships with people here, and having wisdom on how to go about developing those relationships. Lift up the hearts of those we will be teaching and coming in contact with over the year. Please be thinking about us! I know this message is boring, but it was important for me to let you all know what is happening here and why I am not teaching yet. Thank you for reading, remember us in your thoughts. We know that our Father will be guiding us and will be getting all the glory!

Let me know if you have any questions.

I am here in Baku

Hey everyone!

I am finally here in Baku.

Currently, we have had some difficulties finding Bill and I a place. Landlords here are very reluctant to give rooming to two single guys. They are afraid that they will have women over all the time and don't want to have problems with the neighbors. It is understandable and we have tried to assure them that this wouldnt be a problem, but most people don't really trust one another I guess haha.

Anyways, this city is incredible. It is this crazy mix of Western, Turkish, and Russian culture, but is distinct and its own in a lot of ways. As of right now, Bill and Amanda should be starting classes within the next two weeks. They are working at an American run school that has a little over 100 students. Bill and I went and saw their small school yesterday. It seems like a great place and is right down the street from the President's house.

One crazy situation that I can't expand much on is Jillann and my own situation. Hopefully we will be meeting with out administration today. I only have met him at the airport. Apparently, he is a very wealthy businessman and has put together his own school. Things are not totally in place just yet, but as far as we know, we may be working at a highschool, university and also possibly with some other people high up here teaching them English. Nothing is official yet so don't take that to the bank! But, we do start Monday and have yet to really know what exactly we are doing. It is crazy, but we know that dad has something planned.

If you would, keep us in your thoughts as we try to figure out what is going on in this coming week. Think hard about us and ask that we would be prepared. Standards and expectations are VERY high.

Thanks all and as soon as I know what exactly we will be doing, I will let you know. Hope everything is going well back in the States. Come visit me! You will not be let down by this beautiful city.

Training

I have gone through two weeks of training at William Carey International University here in Pasadena, CA and am working my way into week three of four.

My average days are like this:

7:00 wake up and go to breakfast

8:00 Discovery groups - where I am talking with my country team or do a devotional... depending on the day.

9:00 Teaching English as a Foreign Language session. In this we learn different styles and options for teaching a lesson effectively.

10:45 Split session with my region (Commonwealth of Independent States) where we talk about culture, history, language, dealing with specifics, how to teach lessons, manage classrooms and develope ideas for in class activities.

12:00 Lunch

1:30 Big session: discuss Team dynamics, culture shock, personality variances and unity

after this, we meet back with our regional team and figure out who is teaching for the night.

The CIS region teaches in real conversational English classroom settings at a Mandarin Baptist Church about fifteen minutes down highway 210. Those who are teaching have from 4:00 to 6:00 to develop a 45 minute lesson plan for the night. After this, we eat dinner and head out to the church.

In the first two weeks, I only taught two times. I was fine with that. I just taught tonight and will be teaching again on Wednesday.

My city team consists of Bill Rice, Jillann DeVries and Amanda Snider. We have been getting along great and are all very very excited about what is in store for us this year in Baku. Jillann has some EXTRAORDINARY STORIES to tell from her past year in Kazakhstan. Let me know if you'd like to hear them and I will tell you.

On the weekends, we get to have some time off to spend together as a regional team.

On our first weekend, we hung out at a Dodgers game in LA on Friday. On Saturday we hung out in Old Town Pasadena and had a great time. Sunday we played wiffle ball and went hiking in the San Benito Mountains in the afternoon.

This weekend we got to go to Zuma Beach in Malibu on Saturday and Sunday we went to Ventura Beach in west LA. It has been an fantastic time and the people are great. I have been getting along with everyone wonderfully.

Requests:

There is alot going here in California and I would greatly appreciate prayer for focus and also for the other teachers who are leaving soon to set off for North Africa, Central Europe and Vietnam. Pray against homesickness and focus on God. Pray that he might be our treasure!

Let me know through facebook if you have any questions.

God Bless and love you all.

Preparation

In three weeks I will be flying out to Pasadena, California to begin my month long training period in preparation for Azerbaijan. From what I have gathered, training will be a very intense time for all of us involved. It will consist of a six day work week with language, teaching, culture and evangelism training that will go from early in the morning late into the night for four weeks.
I think its a great thing, but at the same time I really don't know what to expect. I talked with one of my new teammates Jillian and she said "It will get you out of your comfort zone and challenge you." so that is a general idea.
But as for now, all I am doing to prepare is getting my medical records together, getting some new shots I haven't had in a long time, earning a little extra money to take along with me and reading.

After talking with my former youth pastor and now lead pastor of Stonegate Church, Rodney Hobbs, I got a book that I will hopefully have read before I head out to California.

Counterfeit Gods by Tim Keller addresses a Gospel centered mindset and examines the everyday things that we chase after and place in front of God. I think this will be a great preparation for me before I set out. It will challenge me to put Christ above all things.

Other books I am reading right now include
Surprised By Hope by N.T. Wright
The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor by Dr. & Mrs. Howard Taylor
The Reason for God by Tim Keller


Surprised By Hope addresses the future hope of Christianity and how it affects us here in the world we live today. By examining the resurrection of our Lord, we can gain a better understanding for what heaven will be like, what the earth will be like and how that plays out for the church today. From what I have read, I have really really enjoyed this book. N.T. Wright is almost like a modern day C.S. Lewis in that he is very well spoken and has a tremendous love for God and what he is writing about.

The Spiritual Secret of Hudson Taylor recalls the life of one of the greatest missionaries the world has ever known, Hudson Taylor. It is an amazing story of obedience and love for God that has really challenged me, but encouraged me at the same time. I'm told that those going overseas for mission work should put it at the top of their reading list. Its been a great resource for missionaries all over the world.

The Reason for God helps to answer the many questions that skeptics have for the existence, character and intentions of God in history. There are quite a few apologetics books out there that use scientific proof to show the existence of God in our world and universe, but the Reason for God takes a look at the more philosophical side of the reasons for God being real and has been considered the best resource out today on the subject. I think everyone should read it to be honest. Whether or not you are a believer, it will either strengthen your faith or help you examine your heart and whether or not you wish to believe in a Creator who is indeed there whether you believe it or not.


Other than these things, right now I am just praying and waiting to see what happens. Hope this is enough information at the moment. Let me know if you have any questions.

Thanks for reading.

Hello there!

Hey friends and family,

This is a page that will be used to let you know what is happening in my life while I spend a year in Azerbaijan. I am not a big blog person, so there won't be alot of reflection, opinions and thoughts, but I do hope to help you gain a perspective for what it is like to live in this beautiful country and share the love of Jesus Christ with people. My hope is that you will be encouraged, informed and gain a greater love for the calling of God's people to the mission field.

I don't really know what will happen, but I hope I can share it with you. Ideally you will get to know the people I will be spending time with on some level and learning more about a relatively unknown part of our world. Thanks for reading. Thank you for your prayers.

Hope this goes well!

Thanks,

Geoff

p.s. This is a map of Azerbaijan and a picture of the city I will be living in Baku.