Time is ticking away

Last week I was asked to give a testimony, and sing at Church. After the pastor of the church found out that I had learned a Punjabi dance he also asked me to dance as well. It is really funny because everywhere I go in India the moment that the people find out that I have learned some Indian style dancing they ask me to dance. It is such a joy to see their faces light up cause they are so excited to see an American doing the traditional Indian dancing. I was even asked by several people who are from the state of Punjab, where Punjabi dancing originated, to come and visit them and dance at their churches. I am hoping that maybe God will open up some doors to be able to do that some day. I have bought saris to bring home so I can teach the dances I have learned to girls back at Steps of Faith as well. I'm soooooo excited!!!!


AHHHH I really want to write about one of the most amazing experiences I have had here but I don't have time too write it full out and I don't want to give just half the story so I will have to tell y'all later. It is about a girl named Shruti.

So the reason that I don't ever have time to write is cause I am working my butt off and spending ALL my time working on finishing off my research. I am almost done analyzing and have begun to write my report of my findings from my research. WHAT A HUGE JOB. It is just so time consuming. It is really neat though cause I feel that I have learned the most in the last week as I have been working on the analysis. I have also had to really put EVERYTHING in Gods hands cause I have seen how completely incapable I am of being able to do this without HIM. It has been so amazing to feel Gods presence guiding me as I finish up my work and draw conclusions to all of the data that I have gathered. Ok, got to go get back to work :)

God bless!!!

Only 8 days till I am on my way HOME :)

I don't understand how the same thing happens every time. I have so much to write about but there just isn't ever any time and so the blogs end up being so scarce. Oh well, I will just have to make up for it later by talking every ones ears off. Well, since last time I have been traveling quite a bit. Which is great because then I get to see more of India, however traveling in India is not like taking a road trip in the states. There are no rest stops and pretty much there are no restrooms, well I take that back there are plenty of places to go to the restroom they just don't consist of a room with four walls and a toilet. First I went with some of the teachers and students from B.M.S.,the school I am doing my research on, to a hilltop resort called Dalhousie. It was a really beautiful place. The scenery was always amazing and unlike Udhampur the weather was COOL. I couldn't believe it but I was even cold at times. We spent our time sight seeing, shopping and hanging out in the hotel watching Indian Music videos. I love to see the ones where they are dressed in the traditional Indian clothes.

I was also able to go up to Shrinigar this last week. WOW!!!!! It was so beautiful as well. The Shrinigar valley is full of green crops and fruit trees are everywhere it is really a sight to see. The people are really just as beautiful as the land scape. Everything in Shrinigar was so different from any other place that I have seen in India. I actually able to go up in the mountain and there was still snow on the tops of a few of the mountains. I really want to go back some time and stay in one of the hundreds of houseboats on Dal lake. I was able to take a ride on the Shakaras which are adorable little boats that you can ride around on in. People selling Kashmiri handcrafts and other merchandise paddle up to you as you go around on the lake and you can shop while sitting in the boat. There is to much to tell and too little time.

I will post some pictures later. That's all for now folks.

Busy, Busy

Last week was GREAT!!!! For the first half of the week I was in Jammu helping with and attending a Women's Conference and then for the second half I was doing the same thing here in Udhampur. There were over 5oo women who attended the two conferences and it was just absolutely amazing to see them worshiping the Lord. Many of the ladies are the only Christians in their household and so everyday is a struggle as their families and friends do not support their faith. I also had the pleasure of having one of the speakers stay in my room for the time here in Udhampur. WOW!!! What a woman. She had a powerful testimony of how the Lord saved her. For ten years she was the only believer in a devoted Muslim family. Through her witness many of her friends and family are now Christians, she is passionate about bringing Muslims to the Lord. She travels around the world and does training sessions on how to reach out to people of the Muslim faith. God has so many surprises in store for us it is just amazing. To think that I didn't even plan on coming to Udhampur. I have just been sososososo blessed by so many people. THANK YOU LORD!!!!!!

In the morning I am getting ready to head out on a five day trip with some of the school students and teachers. I am excited to be able to hang out with the kids again and it will also be a good time to do more research with the teachers and students.

Well I have to go get packed so that is it for now. If I had time I feel like I could write a hundred more pages but I guess I will just have to wait for another day. :):):)

Patnitop

We took a trip up to a mountain hill station called Patnitop a few days ago with the V.B.S. Kids. It is so nice and cool up there. The temperature has been insanely HOT lately all the way up in the mid and high 40's. I am not sure exactly what that is in Fahrenheit but I was told that it was like 115 one day. I decided after hearing that that it was better if I didn't know the exact temperature because for some reason it makes it feel even hotter when I know what it is in fahrenheit. We had gone up to the same place a few weeks back with the school kids. One of the best parts of the trip is the drive up. The mountains are just amazing to see!!! It is also really crazy to fly on the curvy roads and see the drop of just a foot away and NO road rule. The trucks, buses and cars all pass each other whenever they feel like it even if there is a curve ahead and they can't see at all. Half the way up we were on the right side of the road passing slower vehicles and then swinging back over to the left side when a car was coming from the opposite direction. I guess I kinda thrive on those ON THE EDGE moments. I pray A LOT too.

Mahindi. I have no idea if that is really how you spell it but it is kinda like a henna tatoo that the ladies draw on their hands and feet here in India.

It was sooooooo cute all the little girls got the mahindi done. This is one of my favorite little girls. She is actually the daughter of a woman that Bethy(my big sis) was pen pals with YEARS ago.

The research is going pretty well. In a few weeks I will be going on a summer trip that the teacher and the 6th-8th standards will be taking together to a hill station. It will be a great opportunity to do some more research and to hang out with the teachers and students some more. I also found out that the school will actually start back a week before I leave. I should be done with all my research by then but it will be great to see all the kids again.

Thinking about research reminds me that I have to go get some work done. BYE :):):)

Testimony

My Heart is confident in you, O God; no wonder I can sing your praises! Wake up, my soul! Wake up, O harp and lyre! I will waken the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is as high as the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth.

God is soooooo good. Today I was encouraged by a woman from the church who came for a visit and began to share testimonies of how the Lord is working through life. During her visit I bagen to think about how all of the believers here are so open to share their burdens, struggles, joys and testimonies with each other. I have been blessed time after time to hear about how the Lord is using them and the work he is doing in their lives. I have realized that I often am hesitant to share with others the things the Lord is doing in and through me because I think they will feel like I am boasting. It struck me that the thoughts I have had have actually been hindering me from encouraging others by sharing with them the things that the Lord is doing. When God does a work in any of his children he wants them to share it not keep it hidden in themselves. I want to humbly tell others of all the Lord is doing and not hold it in myself. I am sure that just as I have been touched by the people here sharing their testimonies God might use one of my testimonies to bless others. As the verse up top says I will thank the Lord in front of all people and sing his praises among all the Nations.

Monday

Today was the first day of work without the students around. They had their last day of school on Saturday and they are now on summer holiday until late July. I am really going to miss them. They were such a joy to be with. Thankfully the church is doing a V.B.S which is starting this Thursday so there will be cute little kidos around again.

I was a little worried that the days would go soooo slow once school was out but today was a normal day that flew by. When I was not working on my research there was always something going on so I kept busy.

I have been teaching a dance to some of the high school girls from the church. They will be performing at a women's conference that is coming up later in the month. They are really catching on quick, I have been really impressed. They are also teaching me a Punjabi dance that I will do with them at the same conference. It has been a blast.

I also went to one of the students houses today. He is one of the nursery students from the school and is one if the cutest kids I have ever seen. His parents are Hindu and in this area it is the tradition to grow the little boys hair out until they are five years old so this little guy has curly hair that they put into pigtail braid. Honestly he looks like a little girl but he is adorable anyway.

Praise the Lord my health is GREAT and I am able to try new foods and enjoy eating. I tried a new fruit yesterday called litchi and it was delicious.

I guess that is it for tonight. Until next time :):):)

Finally!!!!!!!!!!!!!

OK, so I have been trying to post a blog with pictures for FOREVER and every time I would try to do it either the power would randomly go out or the Internet wouldn't connect. So here goes. I might right this now but there is no telling when I will be able to post it.

Well, Since the last time I wrote a blog I have just been busy, busy working on the research. The students are a ton of fun so It is always enjoyable to do the work. The teachers are also really great gals. They are sooooo funny! There are four of them that you would think they were little middle school girls rather than teachers. I have been taking as many photos as possible. The kids just love to pose for the pictures. They all come running whenever they see that I have the camera out. Most of the pictures that I have gotten have not been on my digital camera so I don't have many that I can put on here. But here are a few...

Pictures

These are friends from the church. I know all of them from when I was in India with my family in 1996. They have been so great and have really welcomed me in. This was also my first time to wear a sari in India :) It was so much fun!!! Later on two of the girls took me shopping in the bazar that is close by. They all speak English very well so communicating with them is pretty easy.

These are two of the girls who live on the compound. They are AMAZING! I have really enjoyed getting to know the two of them. They really take care of me and are constantly blessing me. The one on my right is Nidhi and she is married to the one on my left Titi's brother. Titi's parents also live on the compound and are amazing people as well.

Two week gone in a flash

I can't believe that I have already been here for two weeks. I planned to right more often but I have been crazy busy. Since I've been here I have been spending most of my days Monday through Saturday at Brooklyn Mission School where I am doing my research. On the drive up from the airport when I flew in I found out that the schools here get out a the end of May which kinda put a damper on my research since I am suppose to have 12 weeks to gather my info and instead I have 4 weeks. However, God has been REALLY GOOD to me and has help me to get a lot accomplished in the two weeks that I have been here.

The hardest things have been, I'm really exhausted. The heat here really plays a toll on your energy. I guess I should be used to that after all my years of life guarding but it still really surprises me that I can be so tiered when i didn't really do anything that uses very much energy. The other thing is that :( my stomach has begun to disagree with my taste buds about the Indian food :(:(. I still LOVE the taste but my tummy just doesn't seem to be feeling the same way. I kinda went crazy for a while just eating everything in sight which wasn't the smartest thing. I am being more careful now who I take food from. This is a lot easier said then done cause here in India if someone offers you something it is rude if you don't take at least a little.

Some of the neat experiences I have had have been getting to hang out with a missionary family who works with a nomad people group, going to prayer meetings with Christians from the community, playing games and trying to communicate (which is a game in itself) with the students of Brooklyn Mission school, going to Patnitop(a mountain top park in the Himalayas), going to the market/bizarre(always an adventure), teaching the students dance classes and learning some Indian Punjabi dance as well.

God has been blessing me more than I can even express. He has brought some amazing girl friends into my life who are really welcoming me into the community and are helping me to settle in and adjust to the culture. They have also been great examples to me and have encouraged me in my walk with the Lord. One scripture that the Lord has been placing on my heart is Psalms 57:7-11
it reads...

"My heart is confident in you O God; no wonder i can sing your praises! Wake up, my soul! wake up, harp and lyre! I will awaken the dawn with my song. I will thank you, Lord, in front of all the people. I will sing your praises among the nations. For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds. Be exalted, O God, above the highest heavens. May your glory shine over all the earth."

One of my friends showed me this verse when I was in Thailand a few years ago and it was so encouraging to me. Once again the Lord has brought me to a nation other than my own and he is calling me to worship him. Although at times I doubt myself I can always be confident in the Lord, that is what it is all about.

I'm Here

I arrived in India late Thursday night and becasue my flight from Delhi to Jammu was not until 12pm on Friday I stayed in a hotel in Delhi for the night. Wow!!! What an experience. I love how you step out of the Delhi airport and literally feel that you have been transferred to a different world. My heart was overwhelmed with excitment as the taxi drove me to the hotel I was to stay at. It felt so much like a dream as Indian music was blaring from the radio and my driver, as well as others on the road, wove between the slower cars and the 5 lane highway became 7 lanes. The next day I headed to the airport and made it up to Udhampur meeting Shamona in Jammu and then driving to Udhampur from there.

By God's grace I have not been sick at all. This is awesome especailly since when I have come in the past I have always had terrible stomach aches. Even better than that I am actually LOVING the food. This is really a miracle considering I have hated rice for years and that is one of the main parts of the Indian meal. Thanks who ever is praying for this are, please keep it up :):):)

I really want to write some more but I am too sleepy :( so that's all for now.

Pictures from the past

As I was packing my bags my mom began to pull out some pictures from when we were in India in the past. Wow! They all bring back so many memories.

After planning for months to go to work in a village called Totopara which is in West Bengal India, the plan for this summer is now to go to Udampur, a town in the state of Jammu and Kashmire.I will still be working at a school and will be doing the same type of research I had planned on doing in Totopara. It is great considering that I spent a ton of hours last semester writing up a research design for how to measure the impact that a school has on the community it is located in.

I am sooooooo excited because I will also have the opportunity to take music and teach a little dance while I am there. After taking a mission trip to Norway a few summers ago with Steps of Faith I have been praying that the Lord would provide more opportunities to use dance as a form of evangelism in other countries. Dance in such a powerful communicator and form of worship. I believe that the Lord is really going to use it through this trip.

While Im in Udahpur I will actually be living at the same mission base that I stayed at when my family went to India in 1996 and in 2000.

SIX

Six is the number of days until I am on my way to INDIA for my Internship in Community Development. India, a mysterious and diverse country, has had a portion of my heart since the first time I went with my family in ninety-six. I went with eyes wide open having no Idea what to expect and I can tell you that there is no way that I could have ever imagined what I experienced. My time there was beautiful and miserable at the same time. It opened my eyes to extreme poverty, different religions, culture, new and strange foods, smells that I don't think I want to try to describe and over all it helped me to discover a new part of the heart of God.

The Lord had always laid on my heart a desire to serve the needy but it was in India that the Lord first stirred up in me a passion for culture. If there is any place in the world to see diversity in culture India is the place. In a land that is about a third of the size of the US but boasts a population of over a billion people there is an array of races, languages and religions.

I am eager to rediscover the unique and diverse country of India while I am there for three months this summer. Although at this time it is debatable what exactly I will be doing while I am there, the tentative plan is to research what impact Brooklyn mission school, which is run by Himalaya Evangelical Mission in Totopara India, has on the community that it is working in.

As I finish my finals at Covenant college and prepare for my trip to India my desire is to remember the Proverbs 19:2 which the Lord had placed on my heart recently. It says "It is not good to have zeal without knowledge nor to be hasty and miss the way". Through the last year I have had the privilege of studying community development on top of a mountain at a beautiful college. I must now allow the Lord to do his work in my life and show me the way that he would have me go.