South Asia || Week 3

Hello! First off, let me say thank you to everyone who has left me comments, sent emails, or left me sweet messages on Facebook! I am so thankful for everyone’s support, encouragement, and prayers! It helps so much to hear from you all! And, it has come to my attention that there are people reading this who are friends of friends, and don’t even know me, but are still praying!! WOW! Thank you so much!

This week we found out that we will have to change the dates of the village trip. The girl who was going to come with us as a translator isn’t able to go anymore, so we will be going with another lady! However, she can’t go until the end of the month, so now we will be leaving on the 21 of February and coming back the first weekend of March! This new lady was a school teacher for many years, so I think it will be really great to have her help when we are teaching and I think the children will really respect her!

We spent a lot of time on candles this week! I don’t know if I’ve mentioned it yet, but one of the main projects we work on here is candles that are made out of recycled wine and beer bottles. We collect the bottles from local restaurants, take them home, fix them up, and make beautiful candles out of them! Then we sell the candles to pretty much everyone! And a lot of the restaurants we collect bottles from, use the candles on their tables! We are on load shedding, which means that in the dry season, there is only about 10-12 hours of power a day. Because of this, it’s dark most of the time. Therefore, candles are very important! So by making these candles, we not only help recycle all of the bottles, but we help people out by giving them beautiful new candles that last for a long time. Most people just use the little stick candles that only last for maybe an hour before you have to replace them, but our candles are bigger and in a holder [the bottle] so they last four about 30-40 hours! BUT the best part is that 100% of the proceeds we get from selling candles go back into the project to help the women we work with who are being trafficked or abused or don’t have any income for their families. It’s so amazing to not only see the help we give these women, but to see the community rally around to help out the project! Neighbors come by all the time to give maybe one or two bottles they have and say “for candles!!”. And people have come over to help in anyway they can! They know that the project helps women so they want to help. Such a blessing. Plus then we get to share with them about why we do what we’re doing.

One of the best things about the candles is that they are a perfect image of the women they are helping. For starters, all of the bottles say “not for sale in India” on them… a perfect reminder that these women are not for sale either. And each bottle we get is unique, some have scratches on them, some are chipped, some are broken. But they all are given a new life and turned into something beautiful. What a blessing. My roommate here had this idea about a year ago and she has worked hard to figure out how to make it successful! It is such a great ministry and so fun to be a part of it and see it start to grow!

Besides the candles, another hobby we took up this week is putting thread in our hair! It’s like the hair wraps you do at camp, or on vacation. You basically just do macramé around a thin section of hair and then you have a little bit of colored thread in your hair! Originally, we just did it because we were bored and though it would be a fun afternoon activity, but then we went to one of the shops and one of the girls we are trying to build a relationship with saw it in my hair and was so excited because she had always wanted one in her hair. So, we went and got some string and did her hair for her! It was wonderful getting to spend some time with her and talk to her a little bit! Who knew that something so simple could make somebody so happy?

Things I’m learning:

-- By the time I come home I bet I would be able to have a hippie commune. Seriously, I’m learning how to make everything from scratch and from all natural products.

-- Language classes are still going really well and I have been able to speak a little bit with people here and there!

Things I’m thankful for:

-- God’s provisions, peace, and perfect timing.

-- Supportive friends and family back home.

Things to pray for:

-- Obviously, we are working a lot with trafficked women. So please be praying for all the girls we work with and their safety.

-- I am feeling much better and my cold is gone! So thank you for all who prayed for that! I really appreciate it!

-- Please be praying for the village we will go to at the end of the month! Since we aren’t going now, that just means more time to pray for the ministry we will have there :)

That’s it for this week!

Blessings.

South Asia || Week 2

Two weeks. In just a few days, this will be the longest I’ve been away from home without my family [it’s kinda funny going from 2.5 weeks to 4.5 months away, but I’m excited]!  And honestly, this time has gone by so fast. There were a few moments this week where I just wanted to be back in America for a minute but most of the time I really feel at home here. I forget that the terribly uneven roads, 14 hours a day without power, teeny tiny dirty hole-in-the-wall restaurants, petting street dogs, and riding my bike on the other side of the road [while having to dodge cows and water buffalo] aren’t things I would normally deal with. And I am so grateful for that! Don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to put down South Asia or say “woe is me, I only have power for 10 hours each day”… I’m just saying, that’s life here. And I love it!

Quite a bit has happened this week, so I’ll hit the highlights:

-- I started language classes! It’s going really well and I am learning so much! It has been really helpful to know even just the basics. My roommate always makes me practice whenever we get in a taxi or we meet a new shop owner. But everyone gets so excited when they find out that you’re learning and they try to teach you simple phrases or words!

-- This week, we met with some local pastors and proposed our idea of going to teach art classes and Bible stories in the villages. It was so exciting to get to go to the churches and basically have a staff meeting, but it all be in a completely different language. I loved it! [Plus I was able to follow along enough to know whether they thought it was a good idea or not thanks to what I have learned in class so far].  So, on February 1, we will go to our first village and be there for about 13 days! We are using simplified versions of the mehendi [henna] stories and starting to come up with a project for each of them that teaches different art techniques. I could not be more thrilled//thankful! This is what I have always wanted to do and I just can’t believe it is actually happening, let alone how much God has been preparing me for this, even long before I knew I would be coming here. We will do this program in 3 different villages throughout February, March, and April!

-- I cannot emphasize enough how perfectly everything is working out. It is so evident that God has His hand in the work we are doing. And I can feel the prayers from all of you. Thank you so much!

Things I’m learning:

-- The traditional greeting here is “Namaste”, but all of the Believers here say “Jaimase” which literally means “Praise the Messiah!”… How awesome, right?? They have decided to set themselves apart and greet each other in a way that praises the Lord! The coolest thing is when you are talking to a new person and [if they are a believer] when they discover you are too, they say “Oh!! Jaimase! Jaimase!” and they just get so excited!

-- I learned two songs on the banjo, ha. Who would’ve known that I would have to leave Texas and come to South Asia to learn how to play?! I need quite a bit of practice, that’s for sure, but it’s still fun!

Things I’m thankful for:

-- A loving and supportive church family back home that sends me encouragement and teaches the Word correctly. So many churches here are corrupt or other Westerners I’ve met have lost respect for the church because their churches weren’t doing things the way they should be and I’m thankful I can say otherwise and give them hope that people out there actually pay attention to what we are supposed to be doing as believers.

-- I am beyond thankful that I haven’t had any problems with culture shock and for new friends here who are like a big family! It has made the transition so much easier.

Things to pray for:

-- Health. I am still battling a cold or allergies… I’m not really sure what it is but I sneeze and cough every few minutes and it’s not very fun.

-- Safety. Please be praying for safety as we travel to and from the villages in a week or so and even now as we are at home. There are protests going on throughout the country [which shouldn’t effect us too much since we will be in the villages during the main days they are happening], but we still want our friends and neighbors back home to not have any trouble while we are gone!

-- Continued unity amongst the people we are working and partnering with.

Thank you all so much for the support and for taking the time to read this!

Blessings!

South Asia || Week 1

Hello, hello. Well, I can’t believe this is finally here. I’m in my new home in South Asia! Whaat? But it is absolutely wonderful, and I feel like I have been here forever [in a “feels like home” kind of way, not a “get me out of here” kind of way]. There are a lot of things to catch up on… So…

Traveling days:

My flight out of DFW was super fancy! I mean, talk about luxury. They had a menu for the meals that had many different choices for lunch and breakfast as well as a little note that said “veggie wraps and assorted chocolate bars available at your leisure”… so basically they just came around with a basket of candy bars and you got to pick whichever one you liked! That’s what you want. I watched about 6 movies, and managed to sleep for a little bit [14.5 hour flight].

Once we arrived, I followed all the signs for the transfer flights… there were a ton, so I was like “oh, this will be easy to find, no worries”. Then all of the sudden the signs led me to an abandoned part of the airport and I see one security guard so I ask him where to go and he says “Sit there. Wait for bus”. So… I sat on a bench [by myself] and waited for a bus to come. The bus came and there was no one on it. Everything in me was like “don’t get on this bus by yourself”… but I didn’t know what else to do… So I got on the bus. I had flashbacks to East Asia when I had to give all my luggage to the shady guy in the van, but that turned out ok, so I figured this would too! And even though I had no idea where I was going and at one point it looked like the guy was going to get on the highway and drive far away from the airport and sell me for my blonde hair, I made it safely to my terminal! [Stop worrying mom, I’m ok, he wasn’t really going to do that ;)]. I then waited around for a while and boarded my next flight. It ended up taking off an hour and a half late, so I just slept for a long time! Once I arrived at the airport, I made it through customs and got my luggage just fine! Then headed to our hotel where we spent the night! The next day we went to a part of the capital where they make pottery! That area is known for it’s wood carving, paper making, and pottery, so everything is super detailed and very intricate. It was so beautiful and historic. The next day we headed out on a bus for the city I live in [we call it hippyville – and it is]! It was about a 7 hour ride and I got to see so much of the country! It stopped at two places and we bought vegetables from a market at one stop and had a good lunch at the other! Once we arrived home, I unpacked and got all settled in! We went out to eat that evening and I had my first Daal Bhaat [rice with lentils]. It was pretty tasty!

Other days:

Now that I am all settled in, most of my time has been focused on meeting people and getting to know the area! It’s not that big of a town, so I’ve figured out how to get to most places! I start language classes tomorrow, and I am so excited!! I’ve picked up a few words, but it will be so much easier when I actually know what’s happening. However, one of the coolest things so far is that the lady that comes to help clean our house once a week [absolutely the sweetest lady –and tiniest] ate lunch with us and she prayed for our meal. It was just so amazing to hear her passion and love for the Lord shine through even though she was speaking in a completely different language!

There are so many things happening that I can already tell this is going to be a time of both educational and spiritual growth and I am excited to see all that the Lord does over these next few months!

Things I'm learning:

• Everyone says “no problem” a lot.
• Nobody pushes in their chairs.
• Bring socks with you everywhere that way if the tile is cold in someone’s house you can still take off your shoes at the door and your feet will stay warm “no problem”.

Things I’m thankful for:

• God is the God of all nations
• Safe travels
• A beautiful place to call home the next 5 months

Things to pray for:

• Health – I have a little bit of a cold, so that’s not been great, but other than that I am feeling absolutely wonderful, so pray for the cold to go away and continued good health!
• There are some other things going on ministry wise that I can’t really put on the internet but God knows what they are, so please be praying for some of the families and the girls here.

^{Colossians 1:9-14: "9} For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ¹⁰ so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ¹¹ being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ¹² and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ¹³ For he has rescued us from the dominion of darkness and brought us into the kingdom of the Son he loves, ¹⁴ in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins."

Blessings.

P.S. For those who know about NSN... It's going quite nicely so far! For those who don't... Don't worry about it ;)