Vanuatu

Reply to Vanuatu concerns

So, I mentioned something to a friend about my fears of this first international placement, and this is her email in reponse (yes, the .... indicates censorship :P)

and here it is:

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vanuatu!!!! congratulations to you buddy. oh Assalam alaykum btw. but vanuatu!!! that must be so exciting and cool and nerve-wrecking. 6 days. unbelievable. I read your post on vanuatu and all your emotions are so real...y'know every ramadan, i have this struggle. I want to make this ramadan, the best ever, spiritually speaking. I crave for that connection with Allah, y'know that moment when your spirit takes flight, you feel so blessed and relieved, and for an instant, a brief instant you feel like you've experienced the sweetness of faith. It comes sometimes after a powerful lecture, or an emotionally intense experience when you know no one in this world is capable of helping you out, and Allah brings you back to Him because your soul realizes that is the only place to seek refuge. or after a beautiful dua or a heartwarming recitation. anyway....all of ramadan that's my and everyone's constant struggle..

having said that, I'm incredibly jealous that you get to go all the way to vanuatu. let me explain myself. Buddy everything you said in your post that makes you scared, that every thing will Inshallah only bring you closer to Allah. those moments when you feel so distant from your family and friends, in an alien culture, constantly having to define who you are, constantly keeping your iman in check..it is in those environments that we fortify ourselves. It is those times our iman becomes solid, we begin to put complete trust in Allah.

Added to that the natural beauty of Vanuatu plus seeing life first hand of what some not-so-privileged people experience in Ramadan, subhanAllah. Did I mention, I'm incredibly jealous. When I was in Ottawa, my workplace looked out to the Ottawa river...a simple river, hardly
comparable to wide expanse of the oceans you'll witness, but I'm telling you there's such simple serenity in nature, it's uncomparable. At school I rush past the trees and shrubs and little animals that scurry past me, only thinking about what assignments i have to work on, but there were times when I sat down for a very long time just looking at one tree that had shed all its leaves and it made a perfect picture frame for the river beyond. the bold strokes, the unimaginable detail, man it makes you wonder why people don't believe.

My advice to you, which you no doubt have considered many times, is to make your intention to
make your iman stronger and spend all the time when you have nothing to do, to learn more about this deen..i feel like an incredible hypocrite saying this, considering I've spent the past three weeks doing absolutely nothing. zilch. nada. But I remember before leaving for Ottawa I was in a spiritually bereft state, y'know the time when you wonder what kind of empty Muslim you are, and I made a promise that I'll spend the next four months becoming a better Muslim.
I'm telling you I had no idea what lay ahead of me, but the next four months, Allah presented me with so many opportunities that took so little effort on my part, it was amazing.

Every time you feel scared and lonely, dude remember He is the only one who can protect us all, and remember your parents that are probably spending several sleepless nights praying for you. I heard once that a traveller's duas are readily accepted. Please take this opportunity to make lots of duas

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Assalam alaykum

posted by faa-T @ 5:59 PM