What do I do with Myself?

    As a single daughter of a pastor there are people who are genuinely thinking that I should get out there and do something with my life. Sometimes this can be discouraging when you look at everything you already do and think "but what about everything else that I'm involved in"? I'm the oldest of 12 kids, I go and help out at Cubbies once a week, I've been very involved in Child Evangelism Fellowship and currently help out with Good News Club, I have a job and babysit on top of that, what more do people expect me to do?
     There is that little thing called college. Ahh, yes. College, the seemingly defining factor of whether or not you will be a success in life or not. Now I'm not saying that college is a bad thing, no. Some people I believe have a legitimate reason to go to college and learn things and get the connections needed to do what they want to do (doctors, marine biologists, engineers, etc.). There are plenty of people who still need to have college. Do I need college though?
     I am of the opinion that not everyone needs to go to college. Some people are much better off getting life experience rather than jumping into college and spending a bunch of time and money on something that you aren't going to use. I believe that with my skill set and bent that college is not my only option (although it is one option. I like to keep an open mind about the whole college thing.)
          As a single woman I don't believe that pining away and doing nothing is good for you or anyone else. I believe that keeping busy and exploring are the best ways to get an idea of where you fit before you go out and decide to spend a whole bunch of money (and time) on something that you don't know if you even like doing or not.
     I've learned (via Pintrest) that I could learn so much through the Internet on photography that I would probably start there before I even stepped foot in a classroom about it. I think with things that are artistic and technical like that though you are better off just doing stuff on your own and figuring out what works and what doesn't and just playing around with things rather than paying for a class.  Another idea that I've toyed with is learning alongside another photographer who has been doing this stuff for a while.
     I've found that I'm able to get some pretty decent shots just using the camera on my smart phone and have been experimenting with different lighting. The photos often do end up being grainy but there are a few that turned out fine. I've learned that you can minimize the graininess of your photo (and sometimes avoid it altogether) by shooting a picture with good lighting and making sure your subject is in focus. I only know this because I have practiced and went out to find out how I could get a shot that actually looked good with something I carry all of the time. It came through my own exploration.
     I am currently going through a knitting certification course so that I can teach knitting classes. The cool thing about getting certified is that I actually need to teach classes while I'm getting certified so I actually get paid during the certification process.
     The whole reason I even found out about the knitting thing is because I was going around looking for jobs and I went into my local Michaels to find out I they needed any instructors. Come to find out they were in the market for a knitting instructor and me being a knitter who happens to be in the market for a job found a match. It was God's timing and leading and I am so thankful for His providence.
     I absolutely hands down love working with kids. God has provided ways of me being able to do that through local ministry groups like Child Evangelism Fellowship and Awana and has given me babysitting opportunities for families both in my church and just through random connections. (Although with God they're not really random.) I have been to India to work with orphanages and children's homes and  continue to look for opportunities for God to use me to minister to children.
     All this to say yes, when I look at everything that I'm involved in I might not have college as one of the ingredients of my life at this moment. That's ok. God has given me special talents and abilities and has given me the outlets for those talents and abilities.
     
For all you single ladies out there ask yourself these questions:

What is important to me?
What do I enjoy doing?
Can I get involved in ministering to people with the talents that I am aware of?
Is there something that I feel called to do that might involve stepping out of my comfort zone?
Is there something that I would like to learn/do that I should set aside time to pursue?
   
     I'm not saying that you have to answer all of them but maybe take a little time to think about them and then go and pursue those things that you feel called to do. See where God takes you in this exciting time that He has for you here on earth. He has a purpose for every splotch here on earth and it will be a beautiful thing to look back on.

Am I Making a Difference?

    As a person I want to make a difference. Sometimes I don't feel like I'm making that big of an impact on other people's lives and in Gods kingdom. Some days I wonder if I did anything that really made a difference (you know like the days that all you did was cook and clean and check Facebook and maybe pray).
     Those times that He does give us are a blessing and yes we should be striving to be more like Christ to the world around us and do what we can but some days will just feel like a waste. Don't wallow in the feeling of uselessness but rather turn to God and pray that He would show you where you are making a difference.
    Maybe it's because you were patient with someone that day when you could have gotten frustrated that day or maybe it's through just showing a child that you care for them through the meeting of their needs and stopping what you were doing to care for them. Maybe it's as simple as the fact that you are desiring to make a difference and praying about it.
     I'm not saying that we should wait to make that difference and just allow ourselves to be lazy and not do anything but for those times when we feel like we got nothing accomplished that day and are feeling discouraged about it know that it's ok to have those days and know that God will give you the tasks that He needs you to do. Just realize that sometimes what we think of as making a difference and what He thinks of as making a difference are not always the same thing.
      Sometimes the "small" things make more of a difference in someone watching our lives on the sidelines than the stuff that we might consider that make a "big difference". At the end of the day the thing that matters most is your relationship with God and the thing that matters second most is your relationship with others.
     These are just some thoughts. Need to have some more focused time just writing. I've been really busy recently changing jobs and getting adjusted so that is why I missed posting last week. Hopefully I'll get back on the horse and be a little more regular these coming weeks.

A Meaningful Valentines Day (+ Bonus Movie Review)

     A while ago my mom started a tradition that I think is really cool. She started a Valentines box. It's a big box that we get out and put valentines for each other in throughout the month of February (and if we get it out early enough through some of January too but that doesn't always happen). The goal of this tradition was to get us to say something nice to each other at least once a year. (We say more nice things than that a year ok.)
    If I remember correctly I believe the tradition was started around a time when I was not getting along with one brother in particular. Ironically now me and him are best buds.
    That aside we started this tradition years ago and know that when the valentines box comes out its time to make cards. My mom made a few rules for this activity which have been mostly followed throughout the years (we may have made a few exceptions for the younger ones and special cases):

1. You must say something nice in the card to the person that its meant for (no mean valentines so far)
2. You must make your own valentines (yes, you must put some time and effort into making your card, none of those pre-made dinky valentines that you get for handing out to your class).
3. You must make an individual card for each individual person (not an easy task when your talking about making 13 valentines. Little ones are not held to the same standards on this one but when they are being helped they tend to get at least one valentine for everyone.)

At first we had one who didn't really like that you had to actually make cards for people but now he seems fine with it and everyone does get a card from him that is handmade.
      We also usually have a fondue dinner for our valentine celebration. We start out with the cheese pot where we dip bread cubes into the melted cheese mixture. Then we move onto the main course where we have some kind of stock (chicken, beef, or vegetable) in a fondue pot and cook our raw meats and vegetables in there. Last, but definitely not least, is our chocolate fondue pot where we dip fruits, marshmallows, and sometimes graham crackers in.
     We usually open up the valentine box right after our fancy 3 course meal and pass out the cards.
     It's a fun family tradition that helps me to really appreciate each individual person for who they are as, well, a person. It also is a reminder for me to encourage my siblings and parents in things that I see in them as positive things that they do everyday. Too often I forget to praise them for the everyday things that they do and too often I just take those things for granted.
     It's good to have those things that refocus us on what we appreciate about someone and remind us not to focus on the negative in that person. Valentines day is a good time to do that.
     I have asked myself these questions his year when writing out my valentines:
-What do you appreciate about this person?
-Can you encourage them in any way?
-What are some things that they do that you might take for granted that it might be nice to notice?

     On another note, if you happen to be looking for a good movie to out to for valentines day (or any day) I would encourage you to go see Frozen. It is a movie about the importance of relationship and sibling love. It does have a little bit of romance but it isn't overly emphasized. Our whole family enjoyed it from the little 3 year olds all the way up to my dad (and all 7 of the boys including the "cool" teenagers in spite of the fact that it is a princess movie).

Book Review: Chucking College

     I picked this book up because I believe that college is not necessarily the answer to higher education. I believe that its possible to get a good education without going to college and use the money that you may have spent for classes on building your own business. I was hoping that this book might give me some tools and answer some questions on just how a girl like me might go about doing that.
     Lets just say I did not want to finish this book. The first 3 chapters are all a big rant on how awful colleges are. Chapter 4 has some good things to say and then she starts the rant up again for the next 2 1/2 chapters. The author takes her experience and applies it to all colleges. I got the idea that the author herself did not do enough research before setting off for college and so, by default, had a bad experience while there. (If you don't do your research what do you expect?)
     At first I just wrote down questions because I like to give the author a chance to redeem themselves before I just start thinking negatively about what they have to say.
     I asked:
     Is the author being fair in making overarching statements about all colleges? Is it possible that there are good colleges out there and the author was just very hurt by one college and sought evidence to justify her position? Is this chapter just one big rant that just happens to have some truth to what she is saying but is not necessarily true everywhere?
   
     Ok so the last question may have been a little judgmental. (One out of 3 isn't bad.) I was kind of getting annoyed with the rehashing of the same topic only in different words by that point anyway.
     I thought that the testimonies sprinkled throughout the book were helpful and came from people who were just saying that college didn't work for them so they went another rout or that this is what they did instead of going to college and getting a degree. (In some cases they were more helpful and more insightful than the chapter that they were placed in).
     Chapter 4 was pretty good except for one statement that Melanie makes which I found to be a little pharisaical on her part. She says:

     "Imagine if you had $50,000-$100,000 cash and could invest it in a way that would establish a solid foundation and launching pad for your adult life. Would you choose to spend it on attending required classes based on someone else's agenda for your life, on studying under liberal professors, on living with an arbitrarily assigned person, and on having your innocence and purity robbed?" (Emphasis mine)

     Are any of us truly innocent? I mean really? Does college suddenly cause us to have a sin nature? This is not the first time in the book that she has said something like this I just was so mad that she seemed to be ranting about how "evil" college was once again. OK I get it Melanie, can we just move on now?
     Now I do agree with her that spending tons of money on something that may or may not work out is not a wise choice which is the main thrust of this chapter. So other than that it was a good chapter to read.
     Later she talks about this 24 year old named Jen Keeton who was expelled from Augusta State University because she believed that homosexuality was a behavioral choice rather than a state of being. She was a Christian and stood by her Christian values and I applaud her for it. We should expect to get this sort of treatment from the world because the world hates God and anything or anyone that smacks of Him or who stands for truth no matter how small that truth may seem.
      From how the author writes it sounds like there are no Christian colleges out there with men and women of faith on campus. I have friends who have been to colleges where they met godly young women and men and they do exist! Just because the author did not experience it does not mean that this scenario does not exist anywhere!
    In the context of talking about Psalm 1:1 she states:

    "College offers the counsel of wicked professors, who earnestly desire students to adhere to their liberal teaching; the unavoidable necessity of standing in the way of immoral acquaintances - sinners really....."

     She says all of this saying that you will come across these things at college but you come across these things at home too. I believe that the young college bound student that doesn't do their homework and research their college carefully may indeed have to take classes from wicked professors but someone who values their education should really be diligent about researching the college before committing to it.
     The last statement is particularly odious to me:

     "standing in the way of immoral acquaintances - sinners really."

 You can't find this at home? You don't find yourself spending time with sinners? I found these statements to be a bit judgmental. Yes, there are people who go to college to party and to live the "college life." We are called to love them and not be the one to "cast the first stone" so to speak.
     She ends chapter 5 with this:

   "Culture changing does not happen effectively by integrating with the culture. Think of the righteous man who feels called to witness in a bar, and take note of his strategy. He goes in there, "engages the culture" with the gospel, and then gets out as soon as his mission is accomplished. Hanging out in the place of temptation will not accomplish any more good; in fact, doing so has been proven to cause weaker "missionaries" to become desensitized and worn down by constant pressure to join the crowd."

     I have to ask, what did Jesus do? He was known for hanging out with tax collectors and sinners. If someone feels called to witness in a bar then it's better to obey that calling and reap the harvest than to ignore it and walk away because its "beneath" you to go there which is kind of the feeling I got towards the end of this chapter.
     We must remember to rely on Christ's strength instead of trying to stand on our own. Christ will give us the strength to stand against temptation.
     From how Melanie writes you would think that you could lose your salvation but the Bible teaches that "the Lord will keep you from all evil he will keep your life (Psalm 121:7)". If we are truly saved there is nothing that can take us away from God.
     In chapter 6 Melanie complains about not being able to get people to agree not to drink while they were in Europe for a college tour. I'm sorry honey but you can't be everyone's parent and sometimes it's best to just be kind to people and pray for them.
     She also makes some more comments about how "evil" college is. It's really too bad that she takes college to this extreme. You can find good colleges out there and people do get good experiences there. Like I've been saying, you need to do your research to find these colleges but they do exist!
     In chapter 7 she goes into some of the things that you (in her opinion) shouldn't be studying in college: Greek mythology, Philosophy, Evolution, and Religion Studies. I totally disagree. I believe that you can study these things in order to have an understanding of what others believe so that we might be better equipped to give a defense of our faith. True we do not necessarily need to know what other people believe but it behooves us to know so that we can better understand where they are coming from. I don't think that studying these things will make us any less a Christian.
     Once you get through the rant bit of the book (the first 7 chapters minus chapter 4) then the rest is more of the kinds of information that I wanted to begin with. She gives helpful suggestions on how to build a better resume, hints on what you can do to start up your own business, tips on what you can claim on your taxes, and encouragement to keep on learning even though you are not in school.
     Melanie is just trying to be helpful but in the process she ends up being very judgmental of all colleges. I do not believe that all colleges are bad there are just fewer colleges out there that are good (including good Christian colleges).
     Will I step foot in a college classroom myself? I don't know. This world is changing and with so many options and things available it can be overwhelming. I may have to go to college to get a degree or take a few classes if I feel The Lord calling me to a particular field of study and that is ok. But while I wait I am going to explore the world around me and gain skills and knowledge in areas where I want to have skills and knowledge in.

5 Things to be Careful of in a "More than Friends" Relationship

     I have a confession to make. I had a relationship that I had to let go of this past year. It was really difficult and I felt awful the whole way through the process of giving it up but it was good for me. 

     I saw a lot of things that I need to work on. I'll give you 5 things that I did wrong in the relationship:

Problem #1) Be Best Friends First.

     We weren't best friends before we became serious about each other. 

Problem #2) Giving in to Parent Pressure.

    Before figuring out whether I even could stay friends with this guy in a realistic manner I was asked if I was interested in marrying this guy. This put me in a lot of stress and didn't help me to look at this guy as a friend first before looking at him as more than that. (It's hard to tell when you've only known this guy for at most a couple of months and you've pretty much only seen him in ministry situations). 

     A wise woman from my church pointed out that when you see someone in ministry you are seeing them at their best. People are multi-faceted and so if you are only seeing them in one situation all of the time it's hard to get a good view of who they are as an individual.

Problem #3) Rose colored glasses syndrome. 

     OK, maybe this is Jr.High feelings all over again but you start out knowing that you think someone is cute and not being able to cut it out, then you find out that they think your pretty cute too and then you really can't cut it out, and before you know it everyone notices you spending more time together and then you start saying that you are in a serious relationship together. 

     Your rose colored glasses are affixed and you have a hard time seeing any of the negatives in the relationship because all you can see is someone who thinks you are special and all you want to do is help them feel like their pretty special to you too. You tend towards focusing on how this person makes you feel rather than on what they are like as an individual. 

     Unfortunately I thought that I was above this syndrome and would never fall for it. Boy was I wrong. God really helped me to see that even in this I was weak where I thought (all too proudly) that I had it and I was strong enough and smart enough never to fall into this kind of thinking until it was with Mr. Right. Ah, yes, it is true that pride comes before a fall (in this case it was probably a face plant). 

Problem #4) Being too nice doesn't help. 

     I tried to be better about speaking my mind towards the end of the relationship but it was too little too late. You tend to be nice to someone because you want them to like you but if we had been best friends before we started "dorting" (it's a mixture of dating/courting since I'm not sure that what we were doing was straight up courting but it wasn't straight up dating either) then this wouldn't have been as big of an issue. 

Problem #5) Facebook factor. 

     I was stupid and allowed and encouraged a sort of online dating through Facebook messaging. When I recognized what I was doing instead of quitting and saying "you know what I don't think that this is a good thing for us to be doing because......." I decided that it wasn't doing that much harm. People used to write letters to each other, what's the difference between that and texting? 

     The problem with texting back and forth all of the time is it builds a very shallow relationship. Shallow relationships don't last. They either turn into strong relationships that do last (but this is a rare case and more the exception than the rule), or they fall apart because it wasn't deep enough to begin with, or they always stay surface relationships because that's all you either have time for or care to have with a particular person.

     These were only 5 of the problems that I decided to write about. 5 problems that I think people should try to avoid in relationships. I'm not perfect and so I can see the flaws of my mistakes and do my best to correct them next time.

     I think that being that I was there I can say that I understand what it's like to be blind. I know what it's like to feel so depressed that you feel like every breath you take is painful and keeping back the tears is something that you fight minute by minute. But I made it through, I still live and if you are going through something like this, it will take time, but there will come an end, as long as you don't give in to the feelings completely, you will eventually make it through. I did. 

     This is why I say these things. Not because I like saying them but because if anyone is out there who needs to know that they aren't the only one who's felt this way or to help others not to make the same mistakes. 

     I don't have all of the answers and (I don't think that anyone does) but I do have some experience and can tell you where I messed up. 

The Traffic of Life

     Our lives could be compared to driving down the freeway. Sometimes we fly down the freeway and find ourselves at our final destination in a very minimal amount of time. Other times we find ourselves sitting in traffic. Our lives are the same way. The days can fly past us or we can find ourselves waiting for something to move forward in our lives. Are we going to embrace the situation before us? Ultimately God has ordained the conditions that are placed on our stretch of road. How are we responding?

     Sometimes I go through the times of "traffic" in my life I get impatient. When I get impatient I get frustrated and start to at least mentally complain about how slowly things seem to be happening. Is this response embracing the situation that God has placed before me? Most certainly not. Has God sovereignly ordained the situation that I am in?     

     Sometimes life happens so fast that I feel like I barely have time to think about what is happening. During these times I'm speeding down the fast lane. I have two choices, I can embrace the road set before me or I can freak out because I'm worried about what might lie ahead. Does God have the power to slow my life down if He needs to? Am I the one in control or is God?

     Just because things aren't happening on my timetable doesn't mean that God isn't working. The story of Joseph is a great example of this. Here is a guy who works and does good work for his employer. He is put in charge of everything except what Potiphar eats. For a slave he had it pretty well. Living the slaves version of the "fast lane." 

    Then enter Potiphar's wife. She notices how handsome Joseph is and desires to have a sexual relationship with him. Does everything she can and finally resorts to try to force him. He gets away. She gets him thrown in prison. 

    Was this fair? From a human perspective it doesn't seem to be. Do we see Joseph complain? The Bible does not tell us that he did.

     We see a man who is blessed by God even in prison. Joseph seems to embrace the situation before him and continues to serve the people that God has placed over him. Even while we are in the midst of blessing do we always see it or do we focus on how slowly the traffic seems to be moving around us? 

     The real challenge came for Joseph when the Pharaoh's chief cupbearer and his chief baker have similar dreams while they are in prison. He interprets their dreams. The dreams tell of what will happen in the future. In three days the cupbearer will be reinstated as Pharaoh's chief cupbearer (a very important and influential position) and the baker will be hung. He asks the cupbearer to remember him. It takes the cupbearer 2 years before he finally remembers Joseph and tells Pharaoh. Do you think it was easy for Joseph to wait in the "traffic" of his situation?

      Sometimes we wait for what seems like an incredibly long time, for what? There is a need for every believer to keep God as their focus. Too often I find myself or another thing becoming the focus of my attention. Too often I find myself complaining because I'm in "traffic" and it just seems to stretch on and on. If I have God as my focus I find that I stop worrying about the traffic of my situation and I'm much more able to embrace the situation that is before me.

     The chief cupbearer remembers Joseph because Pharaoh has two dreams that are very similar. These dreams disturb him. He asks for someone to interpret them for him and the cupbearer tells Pharaoh about Joseph. 

     Joseph is then brought before Pharaoh to interpret his dreams. He says that both dreams mean the same thing. They show that there will be seven years of plenty and warn of seven years of famine so severe that the seven years of plenty will be "...forgotten in the land of Egypt..." (Gen. 41:30b ESV). Because he was able (through God) to interpret the dreams, Pharaoh elevated him to second in command over all of Egypt. 

    God needed Joseph to stay in Egypt so that His people might be saved. We learn later that Joseph saves his family from starvation, thereby saving the entire nation of Israel from being wiped out. God had a reason for keeping Joseph in his situation. It wasn't just because He thought it would be fun to keep Joseph from going home to his family or whatever else Joseph may have wanted to do. It was for the salvation of His people. 

     It isn't hard to see how Joseph is a picture of Christ.

 Christ came as a servant. Joseph served Potiphar. Christ was falsely accused, Joseph was falsely accused. Joseph was in prison with two prisoners and told one that he was going to live and be in the presence of the king. Christ was put on a cross between two thieves and granted one eternal life where he could be in the presence of the King of kings. Joseph was in prison for two years after telling the cupbearer to remember him to Pharaoh; at the beginning of the third year he was brought out of prison and into the court of Pharaoh. Christ was in the tomb for two days, rose at the beginning of the third day, and was ready to meet the Father, the King of the world. Joseph was able to save God's chosen people from physical disaster. Christ saved the chosen people from spiritual disaster.

     We can see all of this looking back on the "road" of Joseph's life. If he hadn't embraced the situation would the picture have been as clear? What about us? Are we embracing the "road" in front of us no matter what the "traffic" looks like? Are our lives a picture of Christ to those around us?

Adventure in India

      Now I haven't been blogging for a while but when you travel half way around the world I think it's fine to let some things slide to the back burner for a while. I went on a trip to India and I was about as far away home as you can get. One guy who was with us on the trip said that if we had gone 10 miles further we would have been traveling back around.
     I did try to keep a record of what we did on the trip and have some of my thoughts and feelings written down. Take them for what their worth and if you find it boring this is the uncut unedited version so some of it is a little raw (some of it is a lot raw) that is why.


12/27/13-12/29/13
There is so much to think about. But I'm on the plane and on my way to an adventure that I will never forget. I will leave the United States and come back changed forever because of my experience. I will come back with a different view of the world than what I left with and a different culture will have influenced me. Who will I be when I get back? I will still be me but will I be different, a good kind of different?
These are some of my thoughts as we journeyed through the air.
As we took off I saw a beautiful sunset which I didn't happen to capture but in that sunset I was reminded of the artist who painted it and the one who formed the beautiful mountains and coast of California. He made it all and has the whole world in his hands.

When I first stepped foot into India after landing I didn't really know what to expect but here were my first impressions. In the airport and just outside: it looks just like America. A few blocks from the airport: looks like parts of San Francisco just more signs with two different languages on them (English and Telugu). A few miles down the road: this is a strange mixture of the dirtier poorer side of San Francisco (nicer buildings) and container like buildings and some uniquely Indian buildings.  

     There were these cute little yellow cars called "autos" which can seat 3 full grown men (according to the American standard). There were tractors driving on the regular road and little one seater trucks, little bicycles with carts hitched to the back and motorcycles which look like our dirt bikes fitted with bigger tires and lights. There were street sweeping women going around sweeping the streets with what looked like a bunch of thin slightly flexible sticks (their brooms actually work better than ours do. I found out later this out later.).
     There were lots of banana carts and sometimes very close together making you wonder if they were working together or if they were each others competition. Everywhere you go there was honking. The bus we rode in didn't seem to have shock absorbers (if it did they didn't do much good) and it had pretty lights that changed different colors.
    Saraj Paul (our host for the duration of our time in India) has a very nice house, simple but much bigger than what I was thinking people could afford in India. (A little smaller than the ranch house that we lived in.) very open but enough space for some privacy.
     India smells different than America. When I first noticed I thought it smelled a little like corn tortillas and a sickly sweet smell that I can't seem to place and a light scent of chlorine mixed together.
     After getting our stuff situated me and Megan got out the violins that we had brought along and started preparing the bows by rosining them. We had brought 5 big boxes of violins along.

12/30/13

Today the Eschen's arrived with the rest of the instruments.
The group mostly stayed at Suraj's place practicing the instruments (if you had one to practice) and playing games and enjoying each others company. Suraj has a maid who comes named Mani (Money), she speaks Telugu and does not understand much English.
     The men went out today so that Mr. McClure could get some music printed (he ran into multiple technical difficulties so they were gone for quite a long time). While they were out Mani made us lunch of some sort of simple curry which we ate over rice. Mani left before the men got back.
     Teresa prayed because we were getting worried about how long the men had been out. Not too long after she prayed the men arrived and the kids were able to get to practicing. The Eschen children were so tired. Risa fell asleep in the middle of practice and Josiah started to. When given a break Josiah fell asleep in Selah's bed (Selah is Suraj's little girl who is now with her mother Sweeti in southern India).

  So much has happened since my last entry. So to continue where I left off we went to go with all of the kids to do a practice round at the church the night before New Year's Eve. The following morning Risa got sick and her parents and Suraj took her to the doctor. It was something that she ate according to the doctor. She was not feeling well enough to go to the concert in the evening so she ended up staying home. The New Year's Eve concert was great the message that was given by the pastors were a little weak in my opinion.

The new year I found myself far away from my family and feeling like maybe this whole India trip was just a waste since I had no idea when I was even going to see these said orphans. I called home not realizing at first just how home sick I was. The emotion hits me and its hard to turn it off. I guess I'm just wired that way. Anyway this day is the first day that I got to see the orphans. We had lunch with them and listened to them play their simple precussion instruments. After this we presented them with real violins and Mr. McClure had them learning where the different strings were. They were so happy to get them and so attentive for the lesson.

1/2/14
The next day was Thursday. We went to the children's house again and this time I gave them a Wordless book presentation and had them memorize John 3:16 (which they already had memorized so we basically just went over hand motions for it and practiced them). We played duck duck goose with them. It was so fun to see their faces and here them laughing. It was such a blessing to see them and know that they were happy. They then had a violin lesson and then we went shopping. I bought a Kurti set (it was very expensive according to Suraj but how often do you get to shop in India and I am picky. If there was time I would have had one tailored and may have saved money. -I know that sounds crazy but that's what the local said so it is more likely true than not-) A nice lady named Ann came and helped us pick out our Kurtis she knew all of the good shops to go to and all of the good fabrics to pick and what was a good deal and what wasn't (it pays to go with locals). So yes I may have splurged on my Kurti (it was a little over $40 for the whole set) but it isn't everyday that you can shop in India.

1/3/14
On Friday we went to the children's house again and this time I was more prepared for what was expected and was able to actually do a whole program. We played sharks and minnows which Mr. Eschen and Will taught. The boys had so much fun and no one tried to get out of being tagged they all had good attitudes, they are the sweetest boys. After they got tired out I gave them a the story of the fall in the garden of Eden. Then Brianna came up and taught the memory verse and played the game with them to help them memorize it. They got another lesson after this on the violins and then Doug talked about David. He's so good I wish I had coordinated with him more on what he would be teaching so that the program would flow more but I think that God meant it to be this way.
   Afterwards we went to visit the children's "father and mother". I think that they really have adopted these boys because they talk of them like they are keeping them but they also want them to keep contact with their relatives and people who took care of them before they were adopted. Jiggu and Chungme are their names and they are the sweetest couple to be taking care of all of the 24 sweet boys that they have. They are currently looking for a place to buy so just pray that they might find a place for them to all be able to live. It's interesting because Jiggu is Indian and Chungme is Korean and they met when Jiggu was pastoring a  church and Chungme was doing mission work with the church that Jiggu was pastoring.

 Saturday 1-4-2014

We had what Brian Eschen called an Indian burrito (dosha) (it's a crepe like thing with a spicy potato curry like thing inside. We have been having this for breakfast for almost the entirety of our stay. I think it's hard for Suraj to find things that he thinks we will like so he sticks with the same thing rather than changing it up too much.  I miss eating home cooked meals. I know Suraj is trying and its hard for him to fit stuff into his busy schedule and he has been a very good host to us but I wish that there was a way that we could have seen more of Hyderabad than what we did. Maybe if God allows for a next time (which I pray that he does) I will see more. Maybe if I had seen more I might not be as eager to come back though. I really do want to come back though. God works all things together for the good of those who love him.
     We went to the children's home again and had such a fun time with them. I got to have a long talk with a lady named Angell who was 9 months pregnant today. She said she was very tired and told me about her and Chengu's wish that this child would be a blessing to others and continue on the mission that its parents started. She said that she and Chengu were the first missionaries on either side of the family. I was able to pray for her and their baby. It was such a blessing to be able to pray for this sweet sister in Christ and to be able to feel a connection with someone who lives half way around the world. Before I left for India halfway around the earth seemed so far but now it doesn't seem so very far as it did at first.
     We played with the kids and had a good time again. They are such good students and soak up everything that you teach them. I wish I could stay for longer. It would be such a cool thing to be able to do. It just would be hard being that I'm a single woman to stay for much longer. I'm an exotic rarity and always feel like I'm on display wherever I go.
    We went and got some of the boys Kurtas at a store and a few other things like table cloths.

1/5/14
    We went to church in the morning (a different one than what we had been to before) and had a nice service where the pastor talked about being joyful and that Christians are supposed to be joyful and not focus on the negative. He said that we need to love others and learn to think positively about them because Christ loved us. I think we do need to enjoy others in our lives but I will have to study out more the story of Paul at Philipi before I say that I disagree that Paul had a totally bad experience there.
     We got stuck for a while in at the church because we were parked in (something that is an easy situation to get into in Hyderabad). After we got out of the parking situation we went to the children's home and had lunch. I was feeling a little queasy when we got there but I think it had to do with blood sugar levels more than with whatever bug is going around. We got to talk with Jiggu and Chungme again. These people really do love their kids and want what's best for them.
After spending time with them we went to another children's home run by a man named Boscar. His kids welcomed us and we played games with them and then they danced Indian style and sang us songs. It was really cool.

1/6/14
Monday we went and did some more shopping with Suraj's sister Suemei. I found some anklets for my sisters in a bazaar (hopefully they like them). We went back to Suraj's and had KFC for lunch. After that we went to Jiggu and Chungme's children's home. I have been going over verses throughout the week that tie into the wordless book and so I went over the wordless book with them and had them make wordless book bracelets. They loved it.

1/7/14
Tuesday we went on a last minute souvenir shopping trip and I found some things for my brothers and my dad. This is our last day of seeing Jiggu and Chungme's kids. The shopping crew ended up arriving before the instrument crew being that the Cello's took up too much room for us just to take one car. (Hooray for the shopping crew :) )
Our last day with the kids was a blast! We ate with them, we played games with them, we jumped on bubble wrap together, we went over the Bible lessons and verses for the week and just had a sweet time of fellowship with them. They got their last violin lesson before we went home (they will get more once the Skype connection is set up) and had a mini concert with the kids from Doug's US group that he teaches. The Jiggu's kids then had a little something that they had prepared for us. It was so beautiful to hear them sing and play their music the first song they did was in English, then Telegu, then the language of Orissa (where the boys came from), and then the last song was in English. They all prayed for us. It was so beautiful. I hated to leave but hopefully there will be a next time and I will get to see all of those dear boys again.

1/8/14
Wednesday the Watson's and Mr. McClure left for America and me and the Eschen's took a plane down to Kerala (also known as God's own country). It is beautiful there. The water at the beach is so warm and Kerala is so clean and so much less crowded than Hyderabad. Its like the Pleasanton of India (only it is a whole state and it has both beaches and mountains).
Our first day there we were taken around by Suraj's cousin Sion. He took us to the Arabian Sea and some of us swam in the water. Then he took us to see Chinese fishing nets and how they worked and we got to ride a ferry across what he and Suraj called backwaters (I didn't quite get what the difference was between backwaters and delta but apparently there is a difference). We went to an open market where I found a few souvenirs and Sion bartered for me (since I wasn't that good at bartering, partly because I didn't know what was a good price for what I wanted and what wasn't, I thought I was getting a good deal because it was less than what I would pay in the states but it still was apparently too high of a price for what I was getting). We then stopped at a fish booth where they sold fresh fish and Sion bought some for us. He then took us to a little outdoor restaurant where he had them cook the fish that he bought and we ate it. It was so tasty. I ended up eating three whole fish all by myself. Sion and the driver (almost everyone hires drivers around here it seems) took us to our hotel. Once we got settled Suraj and Sweeti showed up. It was cool to finally meet Suraj's wife. I wish that we could have met his daughter too but it was too late for her to be up at that time.

1/9/14
  Thursday Suraj found a car and took us and Sion towards the mountains. We dropped Sion off part way but while he was with us we got a wonderful tour of Kerala as we passed through the different towns and villages. We dropped Sion off about a third of the way to the mountains and he took a bus to our final destination. We drove pretty much all day and got to ride elephants, see tea estates, and got to see some of the breathtaking views of Kerala (a camera just doesn't do it justice). We bought tea in Kerala. I think I probably should have bought more. Oh well. Maybe I can get Suraj to get me more when he comes over to the states.
We bought some dinner then headed over to Suraj's grandparent's house (he called them Amachee and Apachah- I don't know that that is the correct spelling but that is how the words sounded). They had some things for dinner that I tried but I was so full I don't know that I would have been able to take too much. I did finish what I got though. I like d the red curry that she made not so much the yellow one but it was good too in its own way and if I had stayed for longer I might have been more appreciative. Sion was there and he showed us their dog Blackie who was a little Pomeranian. Sion said she was naughty and left her in her crate. She seemed to really like Sion though. Suraj's Amachee is 104 years old and still sharp as a tack. Her memory is excellent and she is still able to walk, slowly and with a hunched back but still it's impressive for her age.
Apachah seemed a little out of it. Suraj said that he had just recently started losing his hearing.

1/10/14
Friday we got up at 5 to drive to the top of one of the mountains nearby and look out over the valley. It was actually cold for the first time that I was in India (and this is supposed to be their winter season). We then went back down and had one of the best breakfasts that I have had in India cooked by Amachee. It consisted of rice based noodle things formed in a pancake like shape but soft like it was steamed (not crunchy like it was fried). There was this chicken curry that you put over top of it and ate with the noodle pancakes (they told me what they were but I have forgotten). We then had to head back to catch the plane to Hyderabad. Suraj stopped on the way so I could get some banana chips because I actually like this kind of banana (learn something new about the world, there are more than one type of banana and each banana has its own taste).
On the way we drove through a jungle. It was such a sweet time of fellowship the last few hours that we had with our host. When we got to the airport Teresa gave him a copy of my dads book. The visit was so short but I'm glad I got to experience this. Next time though I'll push to stay longer. This is not my last missions trip but rather the beginning of a new stage of adventures that I will be seeking opportunities to go through. I hope that I will see uncle Suraj again and that next time he will get to meet more of my family.
When we got to Hyderabad we were picked up by Suraj's regular driver who had driven us before. He then took us to Suraj's mom and dad's house. They were excellent hosts and allowed us to sleep there in the house and gave us snacks (they gave us a ton of snacks) and then dinner (of which I felt bad because his mom served me up a big portion and I wasn't able to finish it all which is rude in Indian culture but I really tried and then Mr. Eschen told me to not kill myself trying to finish. I still felt really bad about it though).  We sang after dinner together and then they sent us off with a prayer for blessings and safety as we travelled. I'll miss India especially the boys but even the other people I will miss. The driver then took us to the airport.

1/11/14
Saturday was a long tedious day where it seemed like every time we got on or off an airplane we would have to show our passports again and go through security again and it was just one big tiring day that started at midnight (most days do technically though) and went on for 36 hours. I think there is a reason why days are only 24 hours long.