I thought I would just update you on life back in Perth. I am settling into the base life for the next four months until I have another adventure, outside of this city any ways... =)
I live in a house with 10 other girls. They are great and it has been so nice getting settled into one house. When you aren't presently involved in leaving to go on an outreach, then you usually get placed on base somewhere to help the whole base run. So for the next four weeks, outside of prayer and worship times then I am in the kitchen. I help prepare lunch and dinner for around 300+ people everyday! Exciting eh? It is taking my little cooking skills to a new level. It is amazing to see how many people give and contribute every day so that all of us on base can simple live and eat. So most days I come home smelling like food... =)
The base puts on a annul carol by christmas lights program. It is help in a local park. An outdoor, come and go event where we have kids activities, drinks, and a program with a choir, speakers, and other different entertainment from people on base. This event happened last weekend. I was able to participate in the choir and it was a blast. I forgot how much I loved being in choir when I was younger. This choir was a bit less dramatic than my earlier years when we performed broadway shows but still made for good entertainmen,t I think for the city of Vincent (this was the area the park was in).
Christmas is in 11 days and I have been busy busy getting together little gifts and cards! Hope everyone is having a great holiday, with lots of JOY~
You are blessed to be a blessing.
Tuesday, December 14, 2010
Saturday, December 4, 2010
A few things...
Well I wanted to share some stories from India. I wanted you guys to know a bit of the excitement that we had while we were their!
Our seminar consists of many different people. We have a mercy ministry team, a team from an NGO, a grassroots team, and then we also have several individual women coming from the local community we are reaching out too. Several of the women coming are illiterate and have had little or no schooling in their lives. They are so amazing and diligent. Two of the women have returned and were apart of the first seminar that we put on here in April. It has been reported to us from the mercy ministry team that lives here, that God has changed these women just from attending the seminars. One of the woman, Lalita, who barely would share or speak has become one of our boldest speakers. She will get up every chance we offer for volunteers or to share testimonies! God worked through this seminar to build her confidence and she is now a voice in her community. The other woman, Anju, has become known in the community as the ORS (oral rehydration solution) woman. Last April, we taught the group how to prevent dehydration with ORS, and since then anju has made it a goal in her community to spread around this hydrating drink. She has made herself known and now people come to her when they have diarrhea or are dehydrated! She is changing her community one cup at a time!
Praise the Lord for perseverance. Upon our first visit to Siliguri, we met a family that consisted of grandparents and a mental and physically handicap child. We had members of the team that were persistent in prayer and fasting and bringing in the long term team to help pray for and share about Jesus with this family. When we arrived here for our second visit last week, we were over joyed to see the family again and hear about the consistence of the team here in visiting them, praying for them, and helping them understand about Jesus. Today the grandmother came over to tell us that she had thrown away all of her other gods. That she knew that Jesus was the only God to serve. She is hungry to know truth and so dedicated to her family. She has been coming almost everyday to get prayer for her grandson. Her and her husband were going to have a few more discussions about Jesus and asked for the team to come back on Sunday so they could share about their finally decision whether to fully follow only Jesus. We are so thankful for Jesus and His persist longing for us all, and how He gives us the strength to pray for persistently for others! I am believing to get a report from the team about the families decision to only serve the one living God! Jesus!
Our time was so full of God and His spirit. He was really raising the people up to see their lives changed and the lives of the people that they know. I think I love this so much because usually in my head when I think about God's kingdom it has to be on the most grand scale. I often tell people it is like I have a motion picture running in my head constantly. The best movie with the biggest effects, the one that wins the prize. I love Jesus and have seen the magnitude of what He did in my life, so I guess I always want to use the biggest and most amazing way to present Him. I learned a lot by going out into the villages and teaching. Standing in a house that was about as big as some people's closets teaching these people about washing their hands or how to get ride of a fever. Praying with them and feeling God's presence so strongly in that one room house. I knew as I stood their, this is the kingdom of God. This is His love and heart being poured out into this family. It was beautiful and so real. So much better than any big picture plan that I could create in my head on how to share God.
Well I am back in Perth. Getting ready for christmas. We decorated last friday for the holiday season. I am getting more in the spirits of things although when I leave my house in the heat I somehow loose all the christmas spirit.. It just doesn't ever quite feel the same. Praise the Lord their is still the same meaning and importance for this holiday.
I have plans changing and new things happening. I will write more later. Have a good week!
You are blessed to be a blessing!
Friday, November 5, 2010
Incredible India
Well we are finishing up our third week in India.
I am now in Hyderabad. I don't know why but India has been so amazing the second time around. Everything just seems to be striking a new cord in me these days! Love it!
I have eaten about a ton of rice so far. My friend Katie and I decided that we feel like 13 yr old boys when it comes to eating rice. Let me explain. You eat a HUGE amount of rice for lunch and then three or four hours later.. you are starving again. I think this must be what it is like for a guy growing. Or at least in my experience with my brothers, they would eat tons and I would always think where does it go? And now I am asking myself that same questions. Where does all that rice go?! =)
We have an amazing group here in Hyderabad. They are an NGO (non government organization) that works mainly in HIV/AIDS, but they have developed a branch of primary health care workers. So we are training their workers. They are quick and smart and love Jesus! Praise the Lord. Testimonies to come.
Well today is a special holiday, Diwali, where every one sets off crackers (fireworks) So I am going to attempt to walk home now without being blow up!
You are blessed to be a blessing.
I am now in Hyderabad. I don't know why but India has been so amazing the second time around. Everything just seems to be striking a new cord in me these days! Love it!
I have eaten about a ton of rice so far. My friend Katie and I decided that we feel like 13 yr old boys when it comes to eating rice. Let me explain. You eat a HUGE amount of rice for lunch and then three or four hours later.. you are starving again. I think this must be what it is like for a guy growing. Or at least in my experience with my brothers, they would eat tons and I would always think where does it go? And now I am asking myself that same questions. Where does all that rice go?! =)
We have an amazing group here in Hyderabad. They are an NGO (non government organization) that works mainly in HIV/AIDS, but they have developed a branch of primary health care workers. So we are training their workers. They are quick and smart and love Jesus! Praise the Lord. Testimonies to come.
Well today is a special holiday, Diwali, where every one sets off crackers (fireworks) So I am going to attempt to walk home now without being blow up!
You are blessed to be a blessing.
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Stories of my Jesus.
So I am in Siliguri India. Teaching a two week seminar on simple health care for oral learners. This is the second time that we are teaching in this particular community of madagar (spelling?!?).
We are teaching about 16 participants. Most of which have come back from the first seminar! Yah! It is amazing to see the change in some of the women here, we have men in the seminar too but some of the local women are really transforming. They are bold confident and following Jesus in a community that follows so many other gods.
We have been able to see some of the local people we met last april on this trip. one particular family that was close to our hearts, particular close to one girl on my teams heart. She prayed and fasted for this family the whole time we were here in April. Some of the participants that we teach are a mercy ministry group and they live here, so they have been frequently visiting the family, sharing about Jesus and praying for the little boy. The family consists of grandparents that are raising a little boy that is mental and physically handicap. The parents have abandoned the boy. So when we arrived this time to teach, we were all very excited to see this grandmother carry her boy over to where we teach. We talked with them again, and the mercy ministry group updated us on the boy's grandparents. How they were starting to become very curious in Jesus.
We have been here for two weeks now. The little boy's grandmother reported today that when the sun drops, the little boy becomes very restless and anxious. So she has started to pray for the little boy in the name of Jesus, and when she does he immediatly is settled and at peace. Praise the Lord. So she invited us back again today to tell her more about Jesus and is having a time tonight with the grandfather to discuss their decision on if they want to commit to only Jesus. OH and last night they threw out all their other gods!
We are all so excited and praising God for His glory and persistence with us all. He fights for us, and seeks after us, even when we aren't fully even aware of it.
So tomorrow is the last day in the community. We are all very sad that this time has gone by so quickly. Today we taught on child weighing. Powerful! Most kids that die are under the age of 5 yrs. When I say most.. I mean statistically it is around 2 million children a year. A lot of kids, dying from simple, preventable things. All that can be picked up on and treated or helped if the babies and children under 5 were weighed monthly. A healthy child gains weight, a sick child losses weights. How simple is that. So today we did just that. We went into the community and started weighing as many children and babies as we could find, and the rest of us where teaching as many mothers and fathers as we could find, the truth, the importance of such a simple task. Lots of lies are spread in this community because of false "doctors" consulting false gods. Today we spread truth. We lit up the neighborhood with the words of Jesus. Can you tell I am excited?!. Okay will report more later! Headed down to Hyderabad on Sunday for another seminar!
You are blessed to be a blessing.
We are teaching about 16 participants. Most of which have come back from the first seminar! Yah! It is amazing to see the change in some of the women here, we have men in the seminar too but some of the local women are really transforming. They are bold confident and following Jesus in a community that follows so many other gods.
We have been able to see some of the local people we met last april on this trip. one particular family that was close to our hearts, particular close to one girl on my teams heart. She prayed and fasted for this family the whole time we were here in April. Some of the participants that we teach are a mercy ministry group and they live here, so they have been frequently visiting the family, sharing about Jesus and praying for the little boy. The family consists of grandparents that are raising a little boy that is mental and physically handicap. The parents have abandoned the boy. So when we arrived this time to teach, we were all very excited to see this grandmother carry her boy over to where we teach. We talked with them again, and the mercy ministry group updated us on the boy's grandparents. How they were starting to become very curious in Jesus.
We have been here for two weeks now. The little boy's grandmother reported today that when the sun drops, the little boy becomes very restless and anxious. So she has started to pray for the little boy in the name of Jesus, and when she does he immediatly is settled and at peace. Praise the Lord. So she invited us back again today to tell her more about Jesus and is having a time tonight with the grandfather to discuss their decision on if they want to commit to only Jesus. OH and last night they threw out all their other gods!
We are all so excited and praising God for His glory and persistence with us all. He fights for us, and seeks after us, even when we aren't fully even aware of it.
So tomorrow is the last day in the community. We are all very sad that this time has gone by so quickly. Today we taught on child weighing. Powerful! Most kids that die are under the age of 5 yrs. When I say most.. I mean statistically it is around 2 million children a year. A lot of kids, dying from simple, preventable things. All that can be picked up on and treated or helped if the babies and children under 5 were weighed monthly. A healthy child gains weight, a sick child losses weights. How simple is that. So today we did just that. We went into the community and started weighing as many children and babies as we could find, and the rest of us where teaching as many mothers and fathers as we could find, the truth, the importance of such a simple task. Lots of lies are spread in this community because of false "doctors" consulting false gods. Today we spread truth. We lit up the neighborhood with the words of Jesus. Can you tell I am excited?!. Okay will report more later! Headed down to Hyderabad on Sunday for another seminar!
You are blessed to be a blessing.
Friday, October 22, 2010
India
Back in India. I can’t believe the excitement that was pouring out of me when we finally arrived in Bagdogra. This small town that has an airport, is about an hour away from Siliguri, our finally destination. The drive from the airport to Siliguri was full of familiar sights. Cows in the road, people every where doing their daily work tasks, and the smell of smog. I had forgot the excitement and energy that surrounds this country. I felt like my heart was beating to the rhythm of the streets, or it could have been the intense hindi techno music our taxi drive was playing. Either way, it fit the scene.
Their is so much God wants to do in this country. We started teaching the day after we arrived. We are teaching the same group of people we taught in April, plus about 6 new ones. We teach simple topics in a way for oral learners to understand. Mainly because most people in the community that we are targeting are illiterate.
I wish I could put into words the feeling of God's kingdom in this community when the participants go out into the village and teach. Everyday the participants come and we teach them a new topic and by that afternoon we are headed out in small groups and they are teaching others. We see the multiplication of the knowledge right before us. These participants take hold of this information about topics like anemia, feeding a sick child, Tuberculosis, ect and they go and immediately are excited and ready to give what they learned away to whoever we can find in the villages.
Their is such an anointing that happens, I can't explain it and I think it is only because of the prayer put into the curriculum and the fact that everything we teach is based on the truth that God speaks about in the Bible. Keeping yourself a temple, being holy so that He can dwell in you. All the things we know about health care are started and have root in the BIble. I love it!
We have really been able to encourage the participants of the seminar. Most of them are mission workers here in India. They live here and see the people in this community and their living conditions on a day to day basis. They fight these issues of helping these people get clean drinking water or helping them get over simple diseases so they don't die or have someone in their family die. They face this everyday. They love these people and as we have told them all this week, the information they are learning is like a key to unlock a prison. The people in this community are in a prison of no education, or false information from witch doctors or who ever. So they are bringing truth and setting these people free. Giving them opportunity to take the new information and live in a cleaner and healthier environment.
Oh I love it! Well if you can't tell I am really excited to be back in India! More to come...
You are blessed to be a blessing
Sunday, October 17, 2010
Helloo.... I have not stopped blogging!
Well transitions are coming to a close and life is becoming more normal. So I will pick back up my normal activites like blogging!
I left America and set out to Europe for a fly by trip to visit a friend that was getting married. I took the long way back to Perth, Australia. It was so much fun to visit my friends from last year. The girls I stayed with and the friend that got married were apart of my birth attendant school. I stayed in Copenhagen for 5 days, seeing and eating all that I could! Mostly chocolate.. lots of chocolate. Then I headed down to Germany where my friend was getting married. We got to spend some amazing days with the grooms parents down in black forest. It looks like you have walked onto the movie set of the sound of music. You could walk up the road and pick yourself some fresh wild black berries if you wanted, or you could go hiking in the forest, or maybe go to the near by lake and go for a little canoe with all the HUGE catfish. It was increadibly beautiful!
Speaking of beauty, my friend, corinna, looked absolutely amazing! She was married and it was such fun getting to be apart of a German wedding and join in celebrating with her and her new husband!
I left germany and was able to spend a day layover in Italy! So I treated myself to some pizza and gelato! Yummy. This trip secured my love for Europe!
The fun had to come to an end and new fun awaited. The fun of transitioning into my new life here in Perth. It is so different being back on this base as staff and not a student. The base is big and so I learned my first lesson of what I like to call getting used to the awkwardness. Once you recognize that everything in life is now awkward because you don't know what is going on, or you don't know anybody, and you don't have a clue, then you are able to move forward in every awkward situation with a strange new confindence. I have been here for three weeks now and I am some what settled but still get asked if I am a new student and what school I am doing. Bahaha..
Well three weeks in and I am already packing again. Getting ready to go back to India! I can't believe it. I added up and it seems that I will have been in India for one third of this year. I am only going for a one month trip this time. We (my simple health care team) are teaching two different seminars. I am so excited to be going back to communities we have already been in. Seeing people and continuing to get to know people we have already been working with! Oh and to see what God has done since we were last there!
My brother is coming to Australia!!! Trevor is coming to do a discipleship training school with ywam bribane! I am so happy to have him so close! Practically the same time zone! Yah!
Well until next time,
You are blessed to be a blessing
I left America and set out to Europe for a fly by trip to visit a friend that was getting married. I took the long way back to Perth, Australia. It was so much fun to visit my friends from last year. The girls I stayed with and the friend that got married were apart of my birth attendant school. I stayed in Copenhagen for 5 days, seeing and eating all that I could! Mostly chocolate.. lots of chocolate. Then I headed down to Germany where my friend was getting married. We got to spend some amazing days with the grooms parents down in black forest. It looks like you have walked onto the movie set of the sound of music. You could walk up the road and pick yourself some fresh wild black berries if you wanted, or you could go hiking in the forest, or maybe go to the near by lake and go for a little canoe with all the HUGE catfish. It was increadibly beautiful!
Speaking of beauty, my friend, corinna, looked absolutely amazing! She was married and it was such fun getting to be apart of a German wedding and join in celebrating with her and her new husband!
I left germany and was able to spend a day layover in Italy! So I treated myself to some pizza and gelato! Yummy. This trip secured my love for Europe!
The fun had to come to an end and new fun awaited. The fun of transitioning into my new life here in Perth. It is so different being back on this base as staff and not a student. The base is big and so I learned my first lesson of what I like to call getting used to the awkwardness. Once you recognize that everything in life is now awkward because you don't know what is going on, or you don't know anybody, and you don't have a clue, then you are able to move forward in every awkward situation with a strange new confindence. I have been here for three weeks now and I am some what settled but still get asked if I am a new student and what school I am doing. Bahaha..
Well three weeks in and I am already packing again. Getting ready to go back to India! I can't believe it. I added up and it seems that I will have been in India for one third of this year. I am only going for a one month trip this time. We (my simple health care team) are teaching two different seminars. I am so excited to be going back to communities we have already been in. Seeing people and continuing to get to know people we have already been working with! Oh and to see what God has done since we were last there!
My brother is coming to Australia!!! Trevor is coming to do a discipleship training school with ywam bribane! I am so happy to have him so close! Practically the same time zone! Yah!
Well until next time,
You are blessed to be a blessing
Thursday, September 2, 2010
Getting ready...
My summer time is coming to a fast close. One week from today I will be getting on another plane to head out again. I wish I could say it was with a huge excitement and joy but it has been a different set of emotions that I am experiencing.
Many emotions that just need to be given over to Jesus. Fear and anxiety are not part of the plan when you walk in the freedom of Jesus. So battling those things and praying through them has helped.
I think walking away from the family is always hard, but more so this go around. Last time I left, in 2009, I was unaware about the length of time I would be gone, nor did I fully know what that would feel like or mean to be gone for over a year and a half. Now, going back, I understand the struggles, the sacrifice, and the hard parts of being away for so long. I am glad that my family is very supportive. My mom keeps saying " I would rather have you go, even for so long, than sit around here and be miserable and out of God's will." She wants me to go, but I can tell neither one of us are looking forward to next thursday.
God has spoke so much about this next season. He keeps reminding me of the seasons He takes us through and the promises that He has made all of us, but especially made to me personally. I listened to beth moore talk about walking across the Jordan river in Joshua this past week. She talked about how the ark sat in the middle of the river while ever one passed through. That in the middle it is the deepest spot and the hardest to walk out of. That you can look to both sides, you can look back to egypt (comfort, familiarity) and then you can look forward to cain (unknown, a place where you will be a alien for a while). When she put it in that perspective I can see why the Israelites cried lets just go back. We know it, its comfortable, we can make due. What they couldn't see, was the promise land that God was leading them into. So I guess this is where I am at. Ready to hurry over to the other side and experience whatever God is going to open up. I can't see it, and I don't know what is there but I know that God is calling me into a promise land, and that He is faithful.
I am trying to get everything packed! Oh man what a task. Trying to pack for two years under 50 lbs. This is really putting my efficient type A personality to the test! =)
I am looking forward to being back in Perth, but before I get to go to one of my friends weddings in Germany. So I am taking to long route back to perth, through europe where I will spend a few days in Denmark, then a few days in Germany! I can't wait to see these girls and be exposed to their lives and cultures! Don't worry many pictures of come!
Well I will finished up my last week in the states by celebrating a very momentous day. My Birthday! =) Of course I think it is a huge occasion, but most of the world probably sees it as the day after labor day when they have to go back to work... haha...
I have decided I am getting up in numbers so by next year I will have to remove the year off of my birthday on facebook, so people can no longer know how old I really am. All they need to know is that on sept. 7th celebrate that I was born!
Have a good week!
You are blessed to be a blessing!
Many emotions that just need to be given over to Jesus. Fear and anxiety are not part of the plan when you walk in the freedom of Jesus. So battling those things and praying through them has helped.
I think walking away from the family is always hard, but more so this go around. Last time I left, in 2009, I was unaware about the length of time I would be gone, nor did I fully know what that would feel like or mean to be gone for over a year and a half. Now, going back, I understand the struggles, the sacrifice, and the hard parts of being away for so long. I am glad that my family is very supportive. My mom keeps saying " I would rather have you go, even for so long, than sit around here and be miserable and out of God's will." She wants me to go, but I can tell neither one of us are looking forward to next thursday.
God has spoke so much about this next season. He keeps reminding me of the seasons He takes us through and the promises that He has made all of us, but especially made to me personally. I listened to beth moore talk about walking across the Jordan river in Joshua this past week. She talked about how the ark sat in the middle of the river while ever one passed through. That in the middle it is the deepest spot and the hardest to walk out of. That you can look to both sides, you can look back to egypt (comfort, familiarity) and then you can look forward to cain (unknown, a place where you will be a alien for a while). When she put it in that perspective I can see why the Israelites cried lets just go back. We know it, its comfortable, we can make due. What they couldn't see, was the promise land that God was leading them into. So I guess this is where I am at. Ready to hurry over to the other side and experience whatever God is going to open up. I can't see it, and I don't know what is there but I know that God is calling me into a promise land, and that He is faithful.
I am trying to get everything packed! Oh man what a task. Trying to pack for two years under 50 lbs. This is really putting my efficient type A personality to the test! =)
I am looking forward to being back in Perth, but before I get to go to one of my friends weddings in Germany. So I am taking to long route back to perth, through europe where I will spend a few days in Denmark, then a few days in Germany! I can't wait to see these girls and be exposed to their lives and cultures! Don't worry many pictures of come!
Well I will finished up my last week in the states by celebrating a very momentous day. My Birthday! =) Of course I think it is a huge occasion, but most of the world probably sees it as the day after labor day when they have to go back to work... haha...
I have decided I am getting up in numbers so by next year I will have to remove the year off of my birthday on facebook, so people can no longer know how old I really am. All they need to know is that on sept. 7th celebrate that I was born!
Have a good week!
You are blessed to be a blessing!
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