February. In journal entries.

Here are some snippets from my journal entries this month... some are prayers, some rantings, some random thoughts or happenings. You can read the whole thing... when I die one day. haha.

1st. Love of God, overflow. Permeate all my soul.

2nd. I don't know what I'm doing.

3rd. 8 Indian women. 12 colors of nail polish. Countless laughs.

4th. I have a love/hate relationship with being followed. Leading is a huge responsibility.

5th. Sometimes our expectations aren't met because He has something better in mind.

6th. You're not bound by my weakness or inexperience.

7th. People here are desperate to know Him whether they know it or not.

8th. I want to ride an elephant real bad. Ki korim?

9th. Tasks and responsibility. Lists and opportunity. Lord, use my to-dos.

10th. I roll out of bed on my knees.

11th. My sufficiency is from Him.

12th. Earthy.

13th. Monkey temple. Legit coffee.

14th. It's Valentines. MASH and no-bake cookies? Yes please.

15th. Day of meetings. Feeling feverish. Hmm.

16th. There's no such thing as an ordinary day. Not here.

17th. ... the ultimate legacy.

18th. Fathom the unfathomable.

19th. Vision, mission, and goals.

20th. Friendships bridge cultural differences and language barriers.

21st. I'm packing up & moving across town.

22nd. Contextualization.

23rd. Establish the work of our hands.

24th. Today is much bigger than me.

25th. Without you, I am nothing. I will not survive.

26th. We, the body, will join our voices.

27th. "Just invest in those who have the greatest desire to spread the Word."

28th. He came through despite of me... He always does.

Stillness at daybreak.

The usual chaos of city life is silenced by dawn. 

Tension fills the air as the day waits to start.  

Crossing the street is undemanding because 

the crowds are still tucked into bed.

Shops wait to be opened. 

Stories wait to be read.

Words wait to be spoken.  

The aroma of incense offerings waits to be inhaled. 

Chai stands wait to welcome the early riser.  

Stillness at daybreak.

It's almost eerie. 

January Snippets.

In January, I...

Learned some traditional dances.

Got a big girl job working for an NGO. 

I love it, but whatever happened to chillin at McDonald's with your siblings and calling it a day?

Wanted to ride a bike real bad... but I didn't have one.  

Was in India at the same time as my sister. I didn't get to see her, but we sure did Skype. 

Made some West African food with Indian ingredients. 

Made a partnership with a school for kids in the slums. 

Started reading through the Word chronologically. Read it. It'll change your life. 


Walked in a line of nuns for a mile or two. (I was holding the same bag in the same hand.... so I felt like a nun too. I might be crazy.)

Learned a little about farming. Chillies!

Made some new friends.

(Some are on my team.)

(Some randomly invited me for lunch... and into their lives.)

(One is my new partner at the NGO.)

Saw 3 random elephants around the city. (I stole this picture from scoot)

Found a legit coffee shop across town. 

Brought the pancake breakfast tradition to India.

Found a legit fresh flower supplier. 

Got used to public transportation with negative personal space.

Cows.

Cows. 

Sometimes I bump into them. 

Sometimes they bump into me. 

Sidewalks. 

Roads. 

Alley ways. 

Highways. 

It's all fair game.

Seas of Faces.

I got off the train the other day to find myself in this intense crowd. After about forty minutes of wading through the masses of people, I finally got to a higher platform/a spot that I could pull out my camera and snap a shot of the confusion.

Some were getting off the train. 

Some were trying to get on. 

Some were selling chai tea. 

Some were loading cargo.

Some were begging for money. 

Some, I felt like, were just standing.  

When I was literally stuck in a sea of people, it finally hit me: 

There are a LOT of people in South Asia.

I'm used to being around a lot of people. I mean, shoot, I'm from a family of eleven, but living here has changed my view of what "a lot" even means. 

Everyday I see a sea of faces. Faces of friends. Faces of strangers. Faces. 

Faces. Created by a Creator who knows them just like He knows me. 

Hard to Bargain.

It's easy to bargain when it's just an item on a shelf. 

Piled. 

Packaged. 

Tagged.

Priced. 

Picked over. 

Life gets tough after seeing how something is made. 

Effort. 

Time. 

Skill. 

Creativity. 

Concentration. 

Random.2010.Highlights.

I'm not going to lie, this year has been full of ups, downs, and everything in between. I haven't really been good at processing my life lately, so I don't have any inspiring thoughts or reflections about the year, but I know that it was full of change. I've seen things I could have never imagined. I've heard stories that I could have never made up. I've encountered brokenness & seen heartbreak. I've also experienced true joy and had life breathed into me day in and day out. HE'S ALWAYS LEADING, AND I'M LEARNING TO FOLLOW. 

Here are a few random highlights from the ole 2010:

Climbed a mountain.

Played with fire. 

Rolled around in wild flowers. 

Goofed off all summer with my incredible baby brothers & sisters.

Got to spend some time with these ladies. 

Treasured every second of sweet friend time.

Photoshoot with my beautiful sister. 

Graduated from the ole SFA.

Spent some time at the beach with these people. 

And with these people... an absolute blast.

                     Then I left home for a while and got to prepare for overseas life these people. 

Then I said bye to these people.

And met these people. 

And here I am today. Living it up in South Asia. I don't know what this next year holds, but I will never be the same. 

Today: I choose...

Love.

No occasion justifies hatred. 

No injustice warrants bitterness.

Joy.

I will refuse the temptation to be cynical or bitter.

I will refuse to see people as anything less than human beings created by Him.

I will refuse to see any problem as anything less than an opportunity to see Him.

Peace.

I choose to live forgiven.

I will forgive that I may live.

Patience.

I will overlook the inconvenience of the world.

Instead of cursing the one who took my place, I will encourage them to do so. 

Rather than complain that the wait is too long, I will take moment to talk with Him.

Instead of clinching my fists at new assignments, I will face them with joy and courage.

Kindness.

I will be kind to the poor, for they are alone.

Kind to the rich, for they are afraid.

Kind to the unkind, for such is now He has treated me.

Goodness.

I will go without a dollar before I take a dishonest one.

I will be overlooked before I boast.

I will confess before I accuse.

Faithfulness.

Today I will keep my promises.

My debtors will not regret their trust.

My associates will not question my word.

No one I love will question my love.

Gentleness.

Nothing is won by force.

I choose to be gentle.

If I raise my voice may it only be in praise.

If I clinch my fist may it only be in prayer.

If I make a demand, may it only be of myself. 

Self control. 

I am a spiritual being-- after this body is dead, my spirit will soar.

I refuse to let what will rot rule the eternal.

I will only be drunk with joy.

I will only be impassioned by my faith.

I will be influenced only by Him.

I will be taught only by Him.

I took this from my sister Ruth's blog because it resonates with me today. 

I live in a place where it's easy to get overwhelmed & to function in survival mode, but I'm not called to just survive. I'm called to follow Him hard and to let these characteristics flow out of my life. Oh, that people here might see Him in me. 

Today: I choose Him. 

Merry Christmas and a special thanks to Skype.

Me, a guest speaker?

One day I was just chillin and the lady I’m living with said, “Come.” I was like, “Alright,” so we went. I had only been here a few days, so I didn’t know how to ask a lot of questions.

We drove about an hour, and then stopped. Again, she said, “Come,” so I went.

Where are we? Is this someone’s house? Maybe we’re visiting one of her friends…

 When I walked in the front gate, they wrapped some traditional garb around me, presented a bouquet of fresh flowers, and introduced me to the crowd as the “guest speaker.”

What? Me, a guest speaker? What is this? What am I supposed to talk about? Do they even understand English… that’s the only language I’ve got at this point.

Turns out, it was a tribe’s annual holiday. They had all gathered to celebrate, and I was supposed to speak. Good thing someone was there to help translate. When I was walking up to the stage, I noticed the banner above my head said the theme was, “know thy roots to know thy self,” so I talked about culture, the importance of knowing were we come from, who went before us, and Who created us.

It was a hilarious experience.

And… oddly enough, I was in the newspaper the next day.

Welcome to my life.