Home Sweet Home

Well friends, I am officially home. I actually got home Monday night a little after 10pm. David picked me up from the airport and we immediately went for a hamburger! YUM! Sonic was the only place open, so wasn't the greatest burger ever, but man did it taste better than ever! It felt so good to be able to get off a plane and think, "I don't have to climb back on one of these in two hours!" WOOHOO! My trip started pretty early... Tony and I had to leave the house in Bangalore around 4am to get to the airport on time there... My flight left Bangalore at 6:30am. Something I had never experienced before though is that nobody is allowed into the airport unless you have proof that you are on a departing flight! So because of this Tony was only able to lead me so far, but I had already checked in for the most part online so it wasn't too hard the rest of the way. For my flights from Bangalore and from London I took some Melatonin so I would be able to sleep the majority of the time. It was great! I got window seats on all three of my planes so I was able to sleep a lot, which makes me time go by so much faster. Everything went really smooth on the way home (besides the lack of food... they served fish on the plane and you and me both know that is not edible..) Of course it took me forever to fall asleep come Monday night... I saw 4am but once I finally fell asleep. I was out until my mom came in at 10:30, but I was so excited to see her that I totally forgot about the fact that someone woke me up! We spent the day together and it was so great! We had lunch at the Crumpet Tea room and enjoyed a Mani/Pedi together! WONDERFUL! Later that day David came to Rogers and we took our dogs to the park (really in hopes to be able to see the puppies at the humane society...but it was closed.) Wednesday mom took me to Fayetteville and we went apartment hunting! YAY! I am so excited that I actually found an apartment in my price range! I am excited to be able to move in right after Chicago! I am not having a lot of luck finding a puppy, but I know there will be one just for me at one point in time.. Thursday I got to spend some time with my sweet friend, Stephanie. She is getting married in August so it was really great to get to sit down and talk wedding with her! Woohoo! I am so excited for her and Jason!  And well today is my first day back to work... I have been so exhausted lately that I have been falling asleep at ridiculously early hours so this morning I couldn't sleep past 6am.. My mom left yesterday to go get Cody... So be praying for safe travel back today! 

Day Twenty-Five

Saturday:
Today was my last day here in Mysore. Tomorrow will begin the journey home. This morning Tony, Stephany and I went to Cafe Pascucci. Mike and LeeAnnette kept the girls for a few hours so just the three of us could go out and that was really nice. I was so grateful for the time with just them to. We each got coffee and enjoyed a pastry. Stephany and I each had lemon tarts and Tony had a pecan tart. YUM! We took my last trip to the store so I could pick up one last gift for my momma and then Stephany took me to get my eyebrows threaded! It was a new experience that is for sure! She had hers done the other day and when she came back and showed how great a job was done and how much it cost I knew I needed to do it too! So today we went and did that and you would never guess how much I payed! A whopping fifty cents! Can you believe it!? Not only that, but I am going to have to find somewhere to get them threaded in the states because it is so much better than waxing! For lunch we picked the girls and Mark and LeeAnnette up and went to eat. It was actually really good! I have found a few things that I really like. Gobi Manchuri is one of them. It is a Cauliflower dish. We also ordered Buttered Pinere which was great too. I finally finished "Don't Waste Your Life" today and was so glad that I ended up reading it! I really recommend that you read it if you have not!! It is definitely a book that changes your mindset on a lot of things! This afternoon Brad, Krystal, Mike and LeeAnnette came over and we had a worship time all together. We sang some songs, prayed and read different scriptures we have been studying lately. It was a great time together. I read from Galatians 2:20-21. That has been a reoccurring verse and topic for me these past few weeks. We then went and got some dinner and some ice cream and CornerStone. It was delicious! I think I have had a sugar overload for the day though, that is for sure. I know I have said this over and over, but really, I am so grateful for the time God gave me here in India. I am so undeserving of it and am in awe that God would choose me to be the one to come. This evening when I got back I finished the majority of packing my bags up. I am waiting on just a little bit of laundry and then I will be set. Tomorrow our train leaves at two from Mysore and we will be in Bangalore around four where we will stay the night there and then head to the airport around four in the morning. This will probably be my last post until I get home, but we will see. Maybe I will have some downtime in the airport. Praying for safe travels and WINDOW seats!! :)  

Day Twenty-Four

Friday:
Well today technically ends my last week I suppose.. Stephany and I did school this morning with the girls for the last time this week and for my last time since I am leaving.. I am so grateful I have gotten to spend that time with Sarah the past couple weeks though! It really has been a lot of fun for me and I hope for her too! The interent guy was supposed to come today (but didn't) so we just ordered lunch from "Big Chicken". It was yummy! I have been a bottomless pit all day today so I feel like I could just eat eat eat! After lunch Sarah had her nap so I had a little down time and read some more "Don't Waste Your Life" and took a little nap. After my nap Stephany, Rebekah, Sarah and I went down to the park and the birds were gone. We are hoping the just learned to fly really fast... But we have our doubts.. While we were pushing the girls on the swing I heard Stephany go "Oh OH OH! That should not be here" and I turned around and there was a COW coming straight for us! It wouldn't have been a huge deal except that there was nowhere for us to go and the cow had some pretty big horns. Stephany called for the guard and a guy came up and shoed him away. I am sure he got a great laugh about the foreign girls hiding behind the swing set from the cow.. :) A little while later Steph went up to finish dinner and Tony came down and we took the girls to a field across from the apartments and they got to dig in the dirt and fly a kite! I have not flown a kite in a long time, but it was fun to watch Tony try to make it stay in the air. For dinner Stephany prepared some quesadillas and salsa and per Rebekah's request we packed up the meal and headed for the park to have a picnic. Something else I have not done in a long time so that was a lot of fun too! Tony, Steph and I stayed up tonight and they introduced me to a game called "Settlers". I have not ever played it before, but it was a lot of fun and a game I could definitely get used to playing! One of the things I want to do when I go home is play more games. They are such a good way to pass time and enjoy the company of those you are playing with! Well tomorrow is my last day here in Mysore since Sunday starts my travelling home. I just cannot believe that it is already coming to an end! 

Day Twenty-Three

Thursday:

Once again, I am writing in a word document and will be posting my update to the blog as soon as I get the chance… I finally got the chance today only because it just so happened that the neighbors wifi was reaching to where I was sitting, but I cannot manage to find that spot again… This morning I spent some time working on the Bible Study lesson for tonight. Last week we did a lesson on who we are to God and having victory in Christ through knowing Him. This week we continued on and we talked about the Armor of God and the importance of each piece. I felt like tonight went so much better than last week did. I just feel a lot more confident in the lesson and just the responses of the girls. Stephany and I did school with the girls today. It was probably the roughest day for both of us. It was just difficult because they girls were not very motivated, but we made it. A couple, that comes around and makes sure things are going well, came today so Steph and Tony went to meet with them for a while and I got to keep the girls. We got to play a lot of dolls. I did get a little bit of down time which was nice and that is when I discovered the random internet. I then went to Bible Study. I had a hard time saying goodbye to the girls because the didn’t quite understand that I was going back to America. They kept asking, “English class tomorrow?”, “English class next week?”, Bible Study next week?” I was having a hard time emphasizing that I wouldn’t be back… I am so grateful for the opportunity God gave me to meet these girls though. My prayer for them is that they will come to know Jesus if they haven’t already and that they will grow in Him if they already have that relationship. The girls showed me their rooms the other day and today they showed me the finished products! They got some new tables and new curtains and new sheets! They were so excited about it that it brought so much joy to me to see them so happy about it!! There was also an addition to our group tonight! She got to the center on Saturday and I was so glad that she joined us tonight and was able to hear the good news! After Bible Study I came back and Mark and LeeAnnette were still here so we got to sit and talk for a while. My final days are really winding down and I cannot believe how fast it is going. Before I know it I will be walking off of the plane back in Rogers, AR! (The worst part about travelling home is the in between time…) 

Day Twenty-Two

Wednesday:

The internet has been out for nearly two days straight now so I am writing this in a word document so that I don’t forget anything and then can easily post it later when I get internet again. Today since it is Wednesday the girls did school together. Stephany planned out some fun activities for the girls. They are studying Japan so we learned the spelling of “Japan” and some different words in Japanese. I love that each day before school Stephany has a time of songs for the girls where they are learning scriptures to memorize and also a time of prayer for the day and for the girls to be focused in learning. Stephany had a meeting today, but Sarah was down for a nap and Rebekah was reading to Tony so I got to read some more of “Don’t Waste Your Life”. I am so close to finishing so I really want to have finished before I leave. I am really enjoying it and would honestly encourage anyone who hasn’t read it to do so! I am hoping I will be able to sleep on the plane, but in fear of not being about to I am downloading a few other books by John Piper to read. Since the internet has been out we went to Brad and Krystal’s today for a little while to check emails and such. Stephany and I got to visit with Chunuda’s family again tonight and that is always exciting to me. I am not quite sure why since the majority of the time I am unaware of what is being said, but it just excites me to be able to go to a neighbors home and get to know them a little bit. Before I leave I plan to go see Chunada and we are going to exchange names so we can add each other on facebook. That will be exciting to be able to keep in touch with her even after going home! Although I have been thinking a lot about the fact that I will be home next week and then excitement that that brings, I am trying pretty hard not to think about the fact that that means I am leaving India and the Wood’s. Stephany said that she is glad it is early in the morning and I couldn’t agree more. It will be really hard to say goodbye, but it would be even harder if I wasn’t going to be so tired when I leave. I just cannot believe that Wednesday has come and gone and that leaves the week more than half over. While it is exciting to go home since there are so many things that are yet to come: my first trip to Chicago, hopefully my first apartment, a new puppy of my own and being a bridesmaid in one of my dear friend’s wedding it is hard to say goodbye and wonder when the next time will be or what God has in store next.

Some of the things you can join me in praying for are:

·    *How to live a life with a “single minded passion for Christ and His Crucifixion”.

·    *That God would help me to have a heart of forgiveness.

     *What is next: I am going back and forth about plans for Christmas. I have debated between another mission trip and also going to “Passion” a discipleship week for college students.  For a while I was convinced it was supposed to be another mission trip until just about two weeks ago. I feel as if my heart is slowly being changed, but how to figure out if it’s my desire or God’s I haven’t quite established… 

One more thing to add is that I found out the most wonderful news last night!! My dear dear friend Whitney is having a baby!! I am so so excited for her and Nate! What exciting news, especially when it has been a desire for such a long time! 

Day Twenty-One

Tuesday:

Well I suppose the countdown has begun. Today was my last Tuesday to spend here in India. It is a very bittersweet time. I am oh so excited to come home and see people there, but at the same time I am loving the time I am spending here and the relationships I have made that it will be hard to let go of that here. I was half expecting that I would come and it wouldn’t entirely capture my heart like Nicaragua did, but boy was I wrong. There is just something so much different and honestly better about other countries. I am so blessed to live in America. There is no place like it. However, there is nowhere like these other countries and I love the simplicity of life here and in other countries. God has created all of these people with such different ways of life and He has created them all the same and for the same purpose: to have a single minded passion for Christ and His Crucifixion. If you have read a few days ago, you will understand what I am talking about with this “single minded passion”. Oh, Lord how I pray that You would touch every aspect of Your world and that peoples of every nation and every tongue would desire to have that “single minded passion” for You and Your Son. I pray that I would no go home without a changed heart and an unquenchable desire to reach the nation of the University of Arkansas and Fayetteville/Rogers, Arkansas. That is my nation and it is my responsibility to be sharing my joy and passion of Christ and His Crucifixion with those people around me.

Today I got to do some school with Sarah while Stephany did school with Rebekah and then I got to teach Rebakah how to make an origami dog. She is studying Japan in school and origami is big there. We went to eat at Pizza Hut and then went grocery shopping, came back and relaxed a bit. I read some more of John Piper’s “Don’t Waste Your Life”. We went to the park. The birds we have been watching are hatched and growing feathers and then Stephany and I came up and worked to make some dinner. It was delicious! Taco Salad! YUM! 

Day Twenty

Monday:
I am a little behind.. Sorry! Yesterday morning I went and helped at Beautiful Gates. It is a special needs school here in Mysore. I got there at about 9:30 and waited for the teachers and kids to arrive at 10. As I waited I got to talk to a lady named Hemma and she was very sweet and was sharing with me how she came to know Christ. I am uncertain as to how she really realized or came to know that she needed Christ as a savior and that she needed a relationship with Him, but she was very certain that she did have a relationship with Him so praise the Lord! She shared with me that she got married at the age of 16 and her husband was abusive (which is common) to her in more ways than one. She got pregnant shortly after and has two boys now. Three years after she was married her husband committed suicide. She now lives with just her and her boys. I cannot imagine living a life like that, but the encouraging part of the story is that through all of that she knew that she needed something so much more than anyone here or the "gods" that she has been brought up around can offer her. She found a peace that she had never been able to experience before in Christ and now has been trusting him for eleven years. Praise the Lord! Once the kids arrived I just sat in and observed a classroom for the day. I sat in on a German girls who is twenty, has just finished high school and has taken a year off to come teach in India before going to college. She taught the kids English/Language. There are four different sessions and each session she teaches the same thing, just to a different group of kids. Each teacher however has no more than two kids in each class. There was not a whole lot of room for me to be able to help, but I did enjoy getting to observe how things worked there at the school. Especially since I have not had any experience with special needs kids. (Special needs is one of my choice for the major I am pursuing in college and it was really good to be able to experience what it is like first hand. I now know that that is not a field I feel called to!) Since the school is prospering at the moment and does not need help as expected, I have decided to just spend my last week with the Woods. I am so excited about getting to spend more time than planned with them and being able to really just invest in this sweet family this last week. Last night we went and met some people out in one of the villages. Rebekah went to her friend, Joyel's house to play instead of coming with us so it was just Sarah, Tony, Stephany and me. Before going to the village we met a man who owns this restaurant a little ways out of town and got to pray with him. He is not a believer, but his wife and kids are and he has been showing an interest of coming to know Christ so it was nice to be able to pray for him in hopes of him one day coming to know Jesus personally. He sent someone from his restaurant to go get some fresh mangos and make us some juice from them. It was delicious! After leaving there we then went to a home in the village and they made us a meal called Biriyani. It was a rice and chicken meal. We sat on the floor in their living room and ate. First the wife came around and washed our hands and then she brought us plates with the meal on it. There were no silverware so I got to experience eating indian style with my fingers! They served us so much food, but I had to eat it all because I would have felt horrible if I didn't. Meat here is so expensive that they probably don't eat it, but once a month and they chose to serve it to us.. It was delicious, but my mouth and lips were ON FIRE!! Stephany was so gracious and when they left the room took some of my food from my plate and ate it for me... :) The family kept putting more and more on our plates. I felt like I would probably never eat again!! After dinner some neighbors came over and we prayed together and then Tony shared the gospel in Conada to them. After we finished at the house there we drove and went to another house where we prayed for another family and then we headed back to pick up Rebekah and home. It was a late night, but I am really glad that I got to experience and see a different aspect of India. 

Day Nineteen

Sunday:
I am kind of in a state of shock just thinking about how fast time has flown. There have been days and different things that have made some days feel longer than others, but I just am having a hard time believing that I only have one more week here in Mysore. This time next week I will actually already be in Bangalore preparing to wake up in just a few short hours to catch my plane home. WOH! The three weeks I have spent here have quickly come and gone and I couldn't ask for a better place to have come and grown closer to my God and Savior. This morning instead of going to church where we have been going we decided to stay home and have a little house church. Stephany prepared a lesson for the girls about serving others and used the passage from John 13 where Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. She began with telling the story from the Bible and then we went onto the balcony and she had a representation for them and they were able to wash each others feet and pray for a heart to love and be kind to one another. It was so sweet to be able to watch the family have a time of growth within themselves and also within the Lord. Definitely a family I will choose to model my own family after. After we finished Sunday School with the girls they went and watched a movie while Tony, Stephany and I sang some praise and worship songs and then listened to a sermon by John Piper from Passion 2012. One of the songs that really stuck out to me was: Lead Me to the Cross. I have been reading John Pipers, "Don't Waste Your Life" book and one of the things that has really stuck out to me is the idea of having a single minded passion and that passion is Christ and His Crucifixion. So my prayer lately has been that God would reveal to me how to have a single minded passion for Him and His Son and then to have all joys rooted in that and springing forth because of my single minded passion for Christ and His crucifixion. Lead Me to the Cross cries out,

"Everything I once held dear

I count it all as loss.

Lead me to the cross

Where your love poured out

Bring me to my knees

Lord I lay me down

Rid me of myself

 I belong to You

 Oh lead me, Lead me to the cross." 

Oh God, help me to learn how to count everything that I hold close to me and my heart as loss. I want to be able to only boast in the crucifixion of You, my Lord and Savior and not in my own joys and gain, for each of the things that brings me joy in my life comes from the crucifixion of Your Son. Humble my heart, mind and soul Lord, Rid me entirely of who I am so that I am no longer living this life, but that You are living through me. 

This evening we played a good ol' game of hide and go seek. It was a blast to have a little bit of time for everyone to play and experience some time together. I am so thankful for this family and how they have welcomed me arms open into their family. 

Day Eighteen

Saturday:
Today Stephany and I went shopping! We took an auto from the house to the Mall of Mysore and from from the Mall of Mysore we went to Easyday Mall! It was a lot of fun to get out and shop with her! It was a lot like shopping in the states there was just a smaller selection, but I did manage to find what I came looking for! We stopped for lunch at the KFC here which I think I have talked about before. It is so much nicer and yummier than the ones I have ever been to in the states, that's for sure! Tony and Stephany went out for another date night so I was able to stay with the girls again. We pulled a fairly large slide that the girls have out into the hall of the apartment and the girls and a friend from upstairs rode bikes and played on the slide! We made scrambled eggs and toast and then we had some ice cream! YUM! David and I tried to skype tonight, but for some reason it wasn't working... We must have tried to start it all over atleast ten plus times...
Sorry my post was so small... (I am actually writing this Sunday morning since I was having a hard time on the internet last night so I am not remembering all the details.) I will post more tonight... 

Day Seventeen

Friday:
Friday has come and Friday has gone! Today I got to spend some time with Sarah while Rebekah and Stephany did some school. I love it when I get to spend a little bit of time one on one with the girls! It always makes things a little bit easier, but it also means that you get to do exactly what that one girls wants to do! So today, Sarah and I worked a little bit on learning how to lace things and then we read a whole lot of Dr. Seuss! It was a blast! Following school time we went out to eat at a pretty nice restaurant here in Mysore. I have to say I was really impressed and even liked the Indian food! Wow! Now I know what I need to be ordering in the States! (Mom, we can now go to Chutney's and I will have something I will even like!) After lunch I went straight to meet my girls from English class. Today was the last day we were meeting for English so I planned something a little more fun than sitting and learning (of course we had to speak English though). On my way to the hope center Tony dropped me by a grocery store and I ran in and got five chocolate ice cream bars to share with the girls! I went and found them as soon as I got there and they were excited to see me, knowing we were doing something more fun today! We ate the ice creams and then I showed them some more pictures of my family and friends since they requested more of that from yesterday's class. AND THEN we took some seriously silly pictures on my computer. I have not laughed so hard in such a long time and I am sure same for them. I was so happy to hear them laughing and just loving every second of hanging out together! After our silly pictures we painted nails again and then they gave me a tour of their living courters and let me see their rooms and where they live. There are four rooms in the girls dormitory and at least two girls sleep in each of the rooms. They have them separated by age so two of the rooms have two girls, one of the rooms have three girls and the last room is for a live-in auntie! I noticed there was no closets or dressers so I asked about where they keep their clothes and each girl is assigned a locker and that is where they get to keep their belongings. This really made me think. There is absolutely no way that I could fit everything I have into a locker that is no bigger than a foot wide by a foot deep by two and a half feet high. There is NO WAY! They are currently getting ready to get new sheets and I am so excited for them. I got to see the material they picked out today and it is a very pretty purple with some darker purple flowers on it. Man, I just want to take each of the girls I have gotten to know home with me! They have become so dear to my heart and my prayer for them is that they will come to know the Lord and that they will learn to live their lives for Him each and everyday. Please join me in diligently praying for these girls. I will actually get to see them one more time next week when I lead the Bible Study, but it was definitely a very hard thing for me hug these girls goodbye. Oh, how I deeply hope that they realize how much they are loved. After leaving the Hope Center today I found an auto and came home. Stephany and I took the girls to the park for a little while and then we came back up and we started watching a family movie of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. We had to pause it and we will pick back up tomorrow since it was way passed the girls bedtime but I am really enjoying the movie so far. I cannot believe that I only have nine days left here until I begin my journey home. I am so thankful for the opportunity God has provided me.

This was my favorite picture we took today. 

Akshatha, Asha, myself and Arpitha

Each of these girls has found a special place in my heart and I pray for the day we will meet again. 

God, I pray that I magnified You in a way that showed each of these girls exactly who You and Your Son are. 

Day Sixteen

Thursday:
Well today was the day of the strike. Nothing different happened except that there were less cars out. There were few autos and no busses that we saw, but there was still some traffic. I wondered if I would end up going to to English Classes or not, but we went ahead and braved it and I got to go. I was so thankful that I was able to go. It has been nearly a week since I have gotten to meet with them since they have been working on College admission papers, so we did very little. We did a little bit of a review of what we finished with last week, finished reading out story we began and then I shared some pictures of my family, friends and home life with them! It was such a fun time and they absolutely loved getting to look at pictures. They requests that we do more of that tomorrow, so as a grand wrap up of our English Classes tomorrow will be a total day of fun and relaxation! I am so excited to spend just a few more hours with them. I am hoping to take them a little surprise tomorrow and then hopefully find them each something when I go shopping this weekend to take them next week. I have loved getting to know each of them and it really makes me sad to think that tomorrow is the last day we will get to spend time together in English Class. I am so grateful for the opportunity God gave me to be able to develop relationships with some of the girls here. They are girls that will forever be in my heart! Stephany made chicken burgers for dinner tonight and they were actually really good! So good that I will even make them in the states! WOW! :) I also got to play with some play dough with the girls tonight and that was just a lot of fun! After dinner we all went down and went for a walk around the neighborhood it was just a really neat time to get to see a little bit more of the city and right around where I am living for now. I also got to experience Indian Tea! It was actually pretty good. I debated back and forth for a while whether it was tea or coffee. It looks just like coffee but it tastes like tea! I was so confused!! Anyhow, it was a lot different from tea in the states, but I enjoyed Tonight Tony and Stephany and I are going to have a little game night, so that will be a good way to finish up today. I am just loving being here. I cannot believe my third week is winding down and I only have ten more days to spend here in India. This week has gone by really slow for some reason, but at the same time time as a whole is flying by. I cannot wait to experience the rest that God has in store and to grow and build the relationships God has given me here.

My Play Dough Masterpiece! 

Day Fifteen

Wednesday:
So today was the day I got to go to the Palace! The girls slept until nearly 9:45 this morning so that allowed for a very quite morning! Stephany planned out such a fun school day for both of the girls today and I was so glad to be able to help! I should have taken pictures.. (I will next time...) First it started with singing some songs and then we got to work on some patterns, matching and cutting! The final activity we did was a little science experiment to teach about the primary and secondary colors. It was super cute and definitely something I will use in my classroom one day! :) For lunch we went to KFC. I was a little nervous since that is one of the places I don't typically eat in the states, but I was pleasantly surprised! It was way nicer and tastier than at home!! It had a little bit of spice (I am starting to grow to like a little spice) and was absolutely perfect! Following lunch Tony dropped Stephany and the girls off and then took Brad, Krystal and me to the palace to meet a group of people from all over the states. Since I had already eaten I just hungout and got to meet some of the girls who were on the team and then we went to see the palace! It was so much different than I was expecting, but then Krystal reminded me, "You are in India." Oh yeah... The outside was beautiful and we got to go on a tour of the inside for 200 Rupees ($4). They told us we were not allowed to take any pictures inside the palace so Krystal, Brad and I just put our cameras away in our bags and went inside. Once we got inside they made us run our bags through the xray machines (like the ones at the airports) to make sure we didn't have anything bad in it and they saw the cameras and made us go all the way back and check them into a locker before they would allow us to enter in. The problem was that we had already checked our shoes into the shoe holder (not allowed to wear them through the palace) so we had to walk back barefooted and WOWEE was the ground hot! I got some blisters on the bottoms of my feet.. Ouchy! I also got to go to a coffee roster today. It was neat to see the beans and such! Cannot say I would want to work in there, but it sure did smell good! I only paid around four dollars for a pound of coffee. So it is fairly cheap!
The baby birds we have been watching hatched! That is some exciting news! Rebekah could hardly wait to tell me when I came home from the Palace! So we went down and saw them this evening and they were so so tiny and waiting mouth opened for their momma to return with some food! I will try to take some pictures of the birds. Tomorrow is the day the strike is supposed to happen so it looks like we are going to have a day at home all day. We will see what ends up happening. 

Day Fourteen

Tuesday:
This morning started very slow for myself and for everyone else here. Sarah ended up getting sick during the night and threw up so she went to the doctor today and found out she has an ear and throat infection and then she threw up again this afternoon. Poor girl. I really hope she starts getting better and that nobody else comes down with what she has. I went today to go teach English again and when I got there the girls were filling out some college applications so I was told they would be done within 20 minutes and I was asked to iron in the meantime so I ended up ironing for about an hour and then was told that the girls would not be meeting today. I am hoping to be able to meet with them tomorrow, but I was told that they were probably going to still be doing applications tomorrow too, so that may not work out... We will see. I am excited for tomorrow though because I am going to get to go to the palace in the morning with Brad and Krystal! That will be really exciting. Thursday we were told that we should not go out because there is supposed to be a nationwide strike about the gas prices. I am anxious to see what will really happen.. I am hoping that it won't be bad because I was looking forward to meeting some national partners on Thursday, so we will see. My headaches are starting to come back so pray that they hold off until I leave India atleast... I have had them two days in a row now. I really hope that I don't have them tomorrow too..
This is a pretty short post and I apologize for that, just not a whole lot to say today. I will post again tomorrow night and talk about the palace and such!! :) 

Day Thirteen

Monday:
This post will probably be a little on the short side as I am already in bed and ready to go to sleep, but I knew I would forget stuff if I waited until tomorrow. One thing I realized I didn't post yesterday was we drove by the temple yesterday afternoon on our way back from church and I could not believe the amount of people that were there and the amount of smoke that was coming out of the building from their abundant burning of offerings to their "gods". It breaks my heart to think about that many people being so utterly convinced of one of the biggest lies that has ever been told! Heartbreaking! One thing that has been made very clear to me though is the lost in my own neighborhood and family. It is so sad to see people you love being ruled by lies. I just wish that people would realize what the "ULTIMATE sacrifice" is! Anyways, so today Stephany began school with Rebekah so I got to spend a little bit of time today just me and Sarah! It was so much fun! We got to do a little bit of our own kind of school! (tonight during her prayer she prayed to God thanking Him for the school we got to do together :).) Way too sweet! There was a lot of potential things that were going to happen today, but Sarah got a fever (I think she is doing better so thanks to those who prayed) so we pushed them to Thursday. So Thursday I am going to get to go meet some of the national partners here. How exciting! So today we ended up canceling English Class since I thought I was going to be gone. So instead I took a nap and Stephany and I made cookies for my Bible Study tonight! Bible Study was a lot harder than I expected, but it went well. The translator rambled a whole lot about I am not sure what since I cannot speak the language. Stephany said she was most likely just stating what was said in many different ways which is very common in this culture she said. Just have to remind myself that God can use anything to do His will.. I took them milk and cookies and they thought it was the funniest thing because one they don't drink just milk, let alone milk that has not been boiled. so funny! Krystal and I had them try it "american style" by dipping the cookies in their milk. haha Guess I shouldn't tell them that we drink our milk cold!! They think that if you drink cold stuff you will catch a cold. so no ice in drinks or anything like that. They like everything atleast room temperature. The one thing that made me smile was that the girls that are in my English class came and were upset about not meeting today and were excited to be meeting again tomorrow. YAY! :)
Well off to bed for me!
Miss you all!

Day Twelve

Sunday:
Today was week number two of going to church here in Mysore, India. It is absolutely exhausting to go to church here. I am feeling a huge desire and need to be fed by the Word and the chance of it happening here at church is slim slim slim! Church is conducted in English. The pastor speaks in English and then someone translates it into Conada so they go back and forth in conveying the message. However, they both speak so quietly that it is nearly impossible to understand and make out what is being said... I really have no idea how Tony and Stephany manage to go each week. I know they are in desperate need of being fed themselves, but man is it exhausting to go to church and sit and just wonder what you are doing there because there is impossible to get anything from it... With that said though, today was a little on the hard side compared to the other days... And I am so glad to say that I will be worshiping with my church home in about 10 minutes. One of the first things I said to Stephany as I walked out of the church this morning is "well I will be watching the service back home tonight." Sunday's are hard for me because I miss worshiping with my church family and I miss my ABF class.. I am so thankful for technology and that I am going to get the opportunity to tune in tonight as they worship!
Following church we came back and had a lunch together and then got to take some naps (which were MUCH NEEDED!). Tonight we got to go out and have dinner. I actually really liked what we had, but I am not so sure that it is something you would consider "Indian". Stephany said it was something that would be probably a little more "middle eastern" I think is what she said. I forget what it was called but basically it was a thick tortilla with some grilled/roasted chicken in it. I had one with vegetables (raw) in it and one with just chicken. It was really yummy and had some really good seasonings in it. We then got to get some ice cream! YUM! I got some Mint Chocolate Chip on a cone and it was good, but man was it minty! After a while it started to taste a little like toothpaste... Not quite as sweet as the mint chocolate chip in the states!
I also experienced the grocery store for the first time! WOW! Okay, so last week I kind of experienced it because I got to help get fruits and veggies after lunch last Sunday, but veggies and the grocery store are really totally separate. It is so so so small and I swear they were blasting the heater in there! There were so many people everywhere! I have no idea how people grocery shop like that! One of the things that made me laugh was that one of the sales associates there opened up a bottle of nail polish on the shelf and painted the girls fingers with it. Something you would never see in the states!
Well I have about a minute and a half until service so that is where I am headed! More tomorrow!

One thing I will not miss is having to dress like a genie when I go to church! Here is just a little sneak peak.. It is not the whole outfit..

Day Eleven

Saturday:
Wow! Days are really counting up fast! I cannot believe the week has already finished and we are already in the weekend! I am one day away from finishing a second week and beginning my third! WOW! Today was a really relaxing day for me and I LOVED it! Even though I am only going out for two hours a day it is exhausting! More so than the two hours that is exhausting, I think it is the worrying about are the girls learning, are they enjoying coming each day or hating it, and so on.. So to have a weekend is wonderful. I starting reading Alice and Wonderland yesterday and finished it today. It was a really good book, I was surprised! Come to find out in the same book is the sequel Through the Looking Glass so I tried reading it, but it is not as intriguing as the first... I am out of books to read of what I brought with me so I think I might borring Stephany's "Don't Waste Your Life" and read that. She said great things about it..
Well tonight Tony and Stephany went out on a date so I am getting to keep the girls and it has been a blast! They went out to dinner and then snuck back in without the girls knowing in order to be able to watch some movies that don't consist of Dora the Explorer, My Little Pony, and The Bernstein Bears.. All great movies, but boy do they get old! I am so glad that I have gotten to spend some time with the girls and that Tony and Stephany got to get out of the house for a little while! We did a lot of reading tonight, had a gourmet dinner of peanut butter and jelly (one of the only meals they will actually eat...) and some Peach Dumpcake and Icecream for dessert! We also broke out the fingerpaints! I will post a picture of what we all painted! The culture here refers to people that are older than you as "Auntie" and "Uncle" so it is safe to say that they have one great "Aunt Kaylie" ;)! We also did a lot of doll playing and reading and now they are in the bath and we are fixing to go through the bedtime routine. I LOVE that they do this: They take the bath, come out brush hair, take vitamins, brush teeth and then they all get on the couch together, read a story from the Bible, say what they are thankful for that happened that day and then they pray together. Following all of that they head to the girls bedroom and they sing some praise and worship songs and dance around the room and then Tony will rock one girl and Stephany will rock the other and then the girl that Steph rocked Tony will lay in bed and the girl that Tony rocked Steph will lay in bed. I am so excited that I have gotten to be a part of this family while I am here and I am so excited that I get to be involved in this nightly routine. There have been many things that they do that make me think, man I want to do that when I have kids or when I get married and this nightly routine is one of them!
Well it is time for the nightly routine, so Goodnight (or goodmorning) to you all!

Day Ten

Friday:
I was way too sleepy to post last night, so here goes trying to remember everything that happened yesterday. I have really been struggling with trying to figure out what to teach in my English Classes each day.. Who knew teaching English would be so hard!? So yesterday I spent some time trying to figure out how to make the class better.. I felt like class went so much better yesterday too! We "read" a few stories and by that I mean, we looked at the pictures and described what was going on in the stories. We also got to just sit and talk for a little while. This is hard because they know limited English and I know no Conada so it is a challenge, but we are slowly getting to know each other better and better which I love! I have been riding the motorcycle with Carla and Lenae to the Hope Center, but yesterday Tony was able to drive me there so no scary motorcycle! However, when I was finished I couldn't find anyone around that was able to give me a ride back so I called Stephany and we decided this would be a good time for me to try out the "Auto".. I knew there was an auto stand down the road so I told her I would walk to the stand and get a ride back. She told me that would be fine and if I got scared I could call and they would come get me. So off I started to walk to the auto stand. I guess first I should explain what an auto is... An auto is like a taxi but a lot smaller. It is almost like a very small golf cart. It really should only be able to hold the driver in the front and probably two people in the back, maybe three if they were really small. However, people pile into them! Lots and Lots of people cram into the back of one! So as I started walking I realized the stand was quite a bit farther than I had realized because I had always been on a motorcycle so the distance seemed so small. By the time I had been walking for a little bit though I knew there was no since in turning around. I saw an auto and asked if he could take me to the temple which is right next to the apartments and he told me no but tried to flag one down. That driver also said no so I continued walking. An auto driver called out to me and asked if I needed a ride so I finally had one! I was so excited that I had found an auto all on my own! I told him where I needed to go and I payed him the 60 rupees (1.20) and he took me home! I felt very accomplished! When I got back I took the girls down to the park for a little while and then came back up and we had dinner with Brad and Krystal. Brad has prepared a few songs for us to sing together and also found a sermon so while the girls watched a movie we all got the opportunity to sing, dig into the Word and pray together. It felt so good to be able to just sit and praise God. What was so neat about it was that here you only had 5 adults sitting in this room and a song playing through the speakers, but there was a sense total awe and worship in that room. I loved it! It is so encouraging to be able to sit and just worship and praise God in the presence of friends. I am hoping we get the opportunity to do it again before I end up leaving.

Well, I suppose I should start my day. I will try to update again tonight about everything today.

Day Nine

Thursday:
My days are slowly starting to look a lot the same! I have been waking up in the middle of the night because of some tummy pains.. So last night I woke up at 1:30 but was able to go right back to sleep and then woke up this morning at 6:15... Unfortunately, I was not able to go back to sleep... So I laid and read for a while. I said in an earlier post that I have been reading "Heaven is For Real" and I finished that today. It was really a great book. Now of course, you should take it as a grain of salt and make sure you are only putting your faith in what is Biblically sound, but it is fun to imagine what it is going to be like in Heaven. One of the things I really liked about the book is that it brought in different passages from the Bible to show what the Bible says Heaven will be like. I, like many other people I am sure, have always wondered, but I have never done a lot of studying about how Heaven will be so those passages were a great encouragement to me. Today Stephany had a meeting to go to this morning so I had the privilege of getting to spend time with the girls for a while today. We read A LOT of books! I spent a lot of my morning preparing for the Bible Study I had planned to do for the next three Thursdays.. Sadly, this week got cancelled. There was nowhere for us to meet at the Hope Center with lights and since we are meeting at night, that is a problem.. We are going to try to make up tonights study on Monday and then also still have the second study on Thursday of next week. I am really hoping it works out. I was so excited for today, but I just have to remember that God has this plan and while I cannot see it and I have no idea what it may be, He does... Just keep trusting.. God's will is always better than my own.. Always. Today was my third session of English Lessons. It feels like I have been teaching them for so much longer... I got to talk to one of the three girls I am spending time with each day about her family today. It just breaks my heart how some people live. Yesterday she shared with me that she has eight other brothers and sisters and so today I asked if they all lived at the "Hope Center" with her and she told me they don't live in Mysore, but in Bangalore and so that led me to ask where her parents live. Well come to find out.. she told me, "I do not have parents." She then went on to share that her dad was in an accident and passed away a while back and that her mom is not stable for whatever reason. But the only thing that really mattered at that point was that she didn't claim her birth mother as her mother.. It breaks my heart. She is thirteen and has been heavy on my heart. This is actually my translator for English class... I have been praying for a way to build relationships with the girls I am teaching, but little did I know that I would build one with a girl who is translating for me. Oh, I pray that she comes to know the Lord. I am praying for an opportunity to share with her my faith and my relationship that I have grown to have with my God.

Pray with me for:
     1. opportunities to share

     2. the ability to have Bible Study to open back up.. 

          I know God has such a great plan and desire for each one of the girls who will be attending. 

     3. discernment on how to continue teaching in my English Classes 

Day Eight

Wednesday:
Can you believe I have been gone for a week and a half and have been in India for a whole entire week!? I cannot believe it! Time is flying here. I have less than three weeks left and still have so much on my mind to do and see here! Tony is out of town for a few days so it has just been us girls here at the house. Today I slept for the longest I have the whole time I have been here! One I slept all through the night and two I slept until nearly 9am! It felt so good!! Stephany is working on potty training Sarah so Bekah and I got to spend some time just us while Stephany and Sarah worked together. We read books, watched Beauty and the Beast and made bracelets out of pipe cleaners, buttons and beads! Today Stephany made an Indian meal for the first time while I have been here and I actually really liked it! I had the same thing out the first day I came and it was okay, but not something I would want to eat all the time, but what Stephany made was entirely different! I went and had my English lessons again today. Since they were far more advanced than I was expecting I spent a lot of time today in just conversation with them. It was very small conversations, but still it was words. Their main problem is that they do not use the English they know so they then forget the words and how it works. Tomorrow I will try to teach a little more vocabulary and such, but I think for the most part I am just going to try to discuss with them and try to get to know them on a personal level. I know many little facts about them, but would love to know more in order to form a relationship. I am really hoping that they will come to the Bible Study I will be leading on Thursday nights. I had my second experience on the motorcycle again. This time I was a little more comfortable, but the roads and driving here is so crazy that there were a few times where I was wondering if I should just jump off and run behind it! Technically you are supposed to drive on the left side of the road here, but they really drive wherever they feel like it! It makes me nervous.. Something I am going to have to get used to, but I am not sure that I ever will! It has not rained here in Mysore since I arrived. Tonight though it poured! It even began to hail here which is not something that ever happens! The pathways in the apartment are all tile so you can imagine how slippery they were being wet and flooded with puddles.. The girls decided it would be fun to go out and slide around in it so for close to 30 minutes or more they went and crawled and slid around in the puddles. It was so funny to watch! We lost power for a little while, but they have some sort of a generator that kicks in and it allows for just the fans and lights to work. When it came back and Stephany began to cook dinner though the gas ran out so we worked to move the tanks back and forth (they are so heavy we both has to carry them together) to switch them in and out, but neither of us had ever done that so we called on the neighbors and they could not figure it out either, so Stephany when next door and is preparing dinner now. Tomorrow beings the Bible Study and Tony comes home. I will also get to experience my first Auto ride with Krystal! I am loving every minute of being here!!

Day Seven

Tuesday:
I have to admit, I am rather surprised at how often I have been updating! This is not like me! Last night was officially my first night to sleep nearly all the way through the night! It felt so nice to wake up this morning and to realize I didn't wake up for hours in the middle of the night! This morning was pretty relaxing. The girls a few days ago went down to the park and saw a bird fly out of a bush where we later realized there was a nest with a few red eggs in it. With that said, today I took the girls down to the park to see if we could get a closer look at the momma bird so we can find out what kind of bird and eggs they are. We have gotten a few pictures of the eggs (red with black specks on them and very small!) but we cannot manage to get a good picture of the momma bird. However, it does have a red head... Anyways, so I went to the park with the girls and one of their favorite things to do is swing. Bekah can swing on her own, but Sarah needs someone to keep her going so my job quickly became the pusher. However, in addition to pushing Sarah you are required to sing songs to her so tonight I will be doing some research into songs I used to sing as I child... I can hardly remember any! Shortly after the park we came up and read book, after book, after book! They LOVE to read! Stephany and I got to sit down for a while and she was able to walk me through the English program for my lessons this afternoon. It is a really neat curriculum. You take different objects such as people of different ages, different house hold items, animals, etc. and state "This is Grandma" you then proceed to repeat that sentence several times and then you would ask "Where is Grandma?" and slowly add different objects and continue to repete it over and over. I was so excited to begin teaching English! I went into the lessons today thinking that 1. I was only teaching on girl and 2. that I was teaching a girl that knew no English what so ever. Well as it turns out, I am working with two girls but have the privilege of having a girl in there to translate for me when needed and also they know some English! This is so exciting to me because I am going to actually get to form relationships with them! The two girls I am teaching are 16 and 17 and my translator is 13. They are all so sweet and I cannot wait to begin having conversations with them! I will be meeting with them for two hours each day until next Friday (except Saturday and Sunday) if all goes as planned! All the girls I am working work (including the translator) are living in a rehabilitation home. The two I am teaching are in their due to rape and I am not sure why the other girl is.. It is so sad, but very neat that this family has decided to start such a large home. Within the center there is school, church, rooms for the children staying there, etc.
After lessons I came back to the house and got to relax a little bit until dinner. After dinner Stephany, Bekah, Sarah and I went next door and got to visit some more with the neighbors. I love getting to go and just sit with them! It is just really neat to hear about their traditions. She was telling us tonight about what all Hindus wear in order to demonstrate that they are married. Here they have several things: toe rings, a long gold necklace with charms at the end, a nose ring, earrings and the dot above the nose. Wow! I couldn't imagine!
One last thing to share! Today I got to experience my first motorcycle ride! What an experience! I was a little nervous at first since the driving here is just crazy to begin with, but it turned out fine! For now that will be my transportation to the center to teach English, but at some point I may switch to taking an "auto" which is a 3-wheeled car that has no doors. It is kind of like a really mini taxi.

I am so excited and grateful that I am getting to spend a month of my summer here in India. It is unlike any other mission trip I have had the opportunity to go on and I am so grateful that God has chosen to let me be a part of His work here! 

Day Six

Monday:
Wow! I just can hardly believe that I left Northwest Arkansas a week ago! Time has absolutely flown by! I am down to three more weeks and they are going to fly by because as of tomorrow things are going to begin to get a little bit busier each week! Today I got the opportunity to experience an Indian waterpark. I was trying not to have any expectations when I went and well any expectations I had were far exceeded! I was pleasantly surprised by the size and quality of the park! It was really great to get out and experience some different things here in Mysore. Tony and Stephany had never been either so it was a new experience for all of us! I was so happy to see how much fun the girls were having! One of the sweetest sounds is giggles of little girls having a great time! We spent the majority of our day there and now we are back at the house just relaxing. While at the park I had a first experience... I experienced an Indian toilet for the first time. It is better known as a "squatty potty". It is basically a porcelain bowl that looks a lot like a urinal that is implanted down into the concrete floor. There is no toilet paper.. Just a bowl of water to use to clean off... The Indian Culture is a toilet paperless culture for the most part... They do not use their left hand for anything because it is considered dirty since that is what they use instead of toilet paper. Something I don't know that I could ever bring myself to do... After experiencing the "squatty potty" once I chose to wait until we came home to go again... An experience I will never forget..

Tomorrow will begin my being able to meet with and teach a girl some english! I am really excited to get to spend some time with her. Starting tomorrow I will teach her English Monday-Friday from 2-4. I am really excited, but really wish that I was going to get to know her, but due to our severe language barrier that will be difficult. I know no Conada and she knows no English. So for the next three weeks I will be working with her. Starting on Thursday I will be leading a Bible Study. I am really excited about that! I am not sure how many girls yet, but I know God is going to work in some amazing ways! I will be using Shana Olinger's "Battle Gear" study and I cannot wait to begin!!

Missing you all!!  

Day Five

Sunday:
Finally caught up! Today we went to church at "Trinity Baptist Church". We went and picked up Brad and Krystal from their house and then headed to church. Today was the first day that I had to wear the full traditional Indian outfit. It consisted of the Indian pants, tunic and also the scarf. Those are not the technical words for the pieces of clothing.. The church was in a little concrete, one room building that had some large windows for ventilation. Unlike most churches that are not of "western culture" we sat in pews. The pastor spoke in English and then had a guy who translated the service. It began with a very long time of prayers and then moved into singing a few songs. The songs were all in Conada so I am not sure what they were saying, but it was beautiful to be able to sit and listen to how all the different voices blended together. Following the singing the sermon began. It was based mainly out of Isaiah 30:18. The pastor used different stories throughout the Bible that described what happens when we wait on God's timing and when we choose to try and make our own timing instead. Following the service they did another song and passed around the offering baskets and then another time of prayer and dismissed church.
Following church we went to eat at "Big Chicken" it was really yummy! It is kind of like KFC but I liked it a lot better than that. I didn't want any sause on my sandwich and it was really hard for them to understand.. For some reason it is difficult for them to change even the slightest things about a meal... It really was rather funny! While we were waiting for the food to come Stephany went downstairs and did some grocery shopping since it was all in the same building.
We returned and took some naps again! I am loving getting to take all these naps! Especially since I am still not able to sleep all through the night.. Last night I woke up around 10:45 and then 1:30-4am, again at 6am and then finally got up at 8... I laid for a while today and read "Heaven is For Real". It has taken me a long time to finally start it, but I am enjoying it so far. We will see as time goes on. I read for about an hour and then I finally went to sleep and slept for about 2 and a half hours. It felt really nice.

This next week is going to be quite a bit busier. I am really excited to see what is in store and how God is going to choose to work! I cannot believe tomorrow marks one week of my being gone! Time has flown and I have no clue where it all as gone! I am going to cherish the last three weeks I have here.. It is going to fly by the busier I get! 

Day Four

Saturday:

Today was neat! I loved getting to see some of the city here. We went to the Mall of Mysore today. It was a lot larger than I was expecting. There were three levels of stores and then a level with a food court and movie theater. The majority of the stores were European based with one department store, just a few stores I recognized such as: Nike, Reebok and Lee, and then some stores that sold the traditional Indian attire. It is a little funny because I have no idea how these stores stay open. They are very expensive and few people were buying anything. I guess the mall is a popular place to hangout because it is air conditioned but the majority just come and walk around. 

After being at the mall we came back and took some naps (I am still really struggling to get over the jet lag) and then got ready to go to dinner at some friends house. Brad and Krystal had us over for some Lasagna, "butter-dip" breadsticks that Steph made and cheesecake! It was delicious! 

When we got back from dinner we immediately got ready for bed.. It was pretty warm all day so it was pretty draining and exhausting! I got the chance to Skype with David for a little bit which was such a relief. It was much needed to be able to see and hear him! 

Day Three

Friday:
Today Tony and Stephany both had meetings so I got to stay with the girls for just a little while. I am loving getting to be a part of their family here! The girls are a lot of fun and so sweet (most of the time)! It ended up being a pretty relaxing day. Bekah had a friend over for the majority of the day so it was a good day for catching up on sleep and trying to get over the jet lag... I mentioned in my last post that I got to go next door and meet the neighbors. Well Chunada, the girl my age next door, was expressing how she wanted to learn to bake, so Steph invited her to come over on Friday (today). She came over around 11am, but since Steph was at her meeting she came back around 6. It was a lot of fun to be able to sit and teach her how to bake with an american recipe and measurements. While we waited for the cake to bake we just got to sit and visit. I have been told that it is a really neat thing when Indians are comfortable to come to an American's home. The majority of the time we are the ones that go visit people, very rarely do people come to visit in our homes. I am really glad I have gotten to spend a little bit of time with her and really hope to spend more before I leave in June!

Day Two

So this week is going to be a slow week of recouping. It is great to be here, but man is jet lag hitting me hard! I woke up last night at 1am here (2:30pm back home) and then again at 7am (8:30pm) and couldn't go back to sleep. I got a great nap today though and that helped a lot!
Today began meeting some different people. I went and met the lady that works with Special Needs children today and I also got to meet some of the students. Right now school is out here so they are actually not in session of the school year until June 4th. So starting June 4th and through June 8th I will be going each day from 9:30-2:30 to help there. I think I am going to even have the possibility of being able to help teach in the classrooms. I know God has something great in store and I just cannot wait to see what that is going to be. In addition to that, in the weeks before then I am either going to get to work with a girl that is 16 and has been sex-trafficked, in teaching her some english, or I will get to lead a Bible Study once a week with a group of girls who have also been sex trafficked. I guess that is extremely prevalent here, which is so sad.
After the meetin today at the school, the "principal" invited us over to her house so we got to meet with her, her husband, and her two twin boys for a while. It was really neat to be able to meet in the house of some fellow believers. Such a sweet sweet family! I am really excited to work along side them my last week of being here.
Tonight I was also able to go meet the neighbors here. They are Hindi have twins also, a boy and a girl, who are nineteen and attending college. They are both going to Engineers. Education is highly pushed here. It actually begins at the age of 2... Oh my.. There is also a very high increase of suicide here during finals week. I absolutely cannot imagine! They were so sweet though. Tomorrow one of the girls wants to come over so she can learn how to bake a cake! That will be another exciting opportunity to meet and talk with her.
I cannot Believe I am over halfway through a week. Before I know it I will be back on a plane making my 24 hours journey home!

Miss you all! 

And the Journey Begins

Hello Friends!

I am officially in India and all settled in! I am so excited to be here and cannot wait to see what God is going to do! The plane rides all went smooth. I almost missed my flight in London, but I made it! Thank goodness. I got to sit by some of the sweetest people! I met a lady from Fort Smith (what a small world) and we even got to sit together! She has such a sweet story and I loved being able to meet and talk with her! I also got to sit next to this Indian man on my last flight and he was so polite and helpful! I just love the people so far. India reminds me so much of Nicaragua!

I arrived in Bangalore this morning around 5am and then had around a 4 hour drive. So I finally arrived around 9am. It feels so good to be out of a plane and to have showered. Traveling this far of a distance makes for a long few days. I was expecting to arrive in Bangalore on Tuesday morning, but little did I know I would really arrive here on Wednesday.. So my first week is already half over... I cannot believe it.

I am so thankful for all of ya'lls support and all that you have done to make this trip possible. I am loving the Wood's already! They are such a sweet family and I have loved getting to meet their daughters Sarah and Rebecca! I have been given my own room, closet and bathroom! What a blessing to have! I even got the privilege of using hot water!

I will update as the week goes on! We are planning to go meet a lady at one of the schools tomorrow so that I can possibly get involved there!

Cannot wait to see what is in store!
Kaylie 

God's Will is Always Better than Mine

Finally, I have been on quite the journey over the past six months. November of last year I branched out and purchased a plane ticket to Nairobi, Kenya, Africa. I was nervous about it because I am so used to going to Nicaragua each summer and I couldn't imagine a summer not spent in the country I love. But I really felt God calling me to Africa and it is a place I have dreamt of going to ever since I was a little girl. So my ticket was purchased and I was leaving in just two short months when I received a phone call telling me that the family I was staying with was having to come home due to their child becoming ill. While I knew God had a plan for my summer, I was quickly shown that Kenya was not it. This whole time God had a plan for me and I just didn't open my eyes enough to see the whole thing. With just two short months to find somewhere to go and switch my plane ticket I began researching and looking into organizations all over Africa. What I didn't know was that God had no intention for me to go to Africa, I was the one with every intention of a trip there.. After much prayer and conversations with great friends and my wonderful roommate Bethany, Bethany suggested that I look into going to India. My thoughts were: "Why on earth would I want to go there? It isn't Africa... God doesn't want me to go to India.." I finally put my thoughts aside and emailed a family from my church that is living there and this was her response:

"We have been praying that someone would come and help us with our kids for a bit so that I can get more involved in women's ministry here in [India]."

I could hardly keep myself from jumping up and down. You  mean all this time I have been doubting where God wants me to go and I have been convinced that I was going to be in Africa this summer?? You mean someone has been Praying for someone to come and help?? And not only that but you mean I am the answer to someone's prayer!?! Me, Kaylie, so unworthy, doubtful, Kaylie... God is using me to answer a prayer that someone has been praying for a long period of time... What a humbling, "God is so much greater than i" moment...

Well with all of this said, I am pleased to announce that I will be leaving two weeks from today to spend four weeks in India! Four weeks is a long time and I am nervous about that, but man do I know now that God has an amazing plan for my summer!

Pray with me for safety, for soft hearts and for a drastic life change in my own heart... 

My callused, dry, nasty heart... 

Oh Lord, Change my heart's motives and make them Your's...

Coming to an End...

Well, this is my last week of my freshman year! I technically have one more week after this one, but all my finals are this week, so there will be a huge relief once this week is done. Even though it is nerve racking to wait on grades to be posted, it is like a weight is lifted from your shoulders as soon as you hand in your last test! One of the things that I love about college is that I only have a particular class for one semester! Such a good feeling to be so close to done! I am in desperate need of summer. 

Also, something else really exciting is I am officially signed up to take the Praxis1 test on May 12th! Just one step closer to graduating and becoming a teacher! I love it!! 

I cannot wait to have year number two under the belt too! 

Baseball, Baseball, Baseball

I have a lot of catching up to do, so here we go!

Let's start with just a few weeks ago David was finally able to use his Christmas present I got him! We went to see the Brewers Vs. Braves game in Atlanta! It was such a great weekend to get away from school and do a few things that I have never had the opportunity to do before! I have become quite the avid baseball fan (thanks to David) and I love it! I was able to attend my first MLB game! It was such a neat experience and I couldn't have experienced it with anyone better! I even bought a Brewers shirt just for the game, but this doesn't mean I am a full on fan yet... :)

And to top it off while we were there we got to stay with our dear friends Cory, Liesel and Cooper! It was so good to be able to see them... been way too long! 

The Braves Park! David has a goal to go to all the different stadiums before he dies... Too bad this one was already marked off the list! 

David and I at the game! We even got to sit on a row of all Brewers Fans! Woohoo!! 

Cannot wait for the next game!! 

Sustain me Oh Lord

I am so dead.. The past month and beyond I have been yearning to feel God and to have this burning desire to need and want Him, just something was in the way. Tonight, God has really shown me that that thing is worry. I used to never be someone to stress and worry about things but many these past couple of months I have become quite the worry wort... I have worried about my grades and worried that God wouldn't provide for Kenya or that he wouldn't provide for housing next year. Anything that I have been given the opportunity to worry about, I have. I have greatly grown to hate that about myself, I just didn't know how to get away from it. Despite all the times that I have doubted that God would provide, He has come through and provided each and every time and I know that once again, no matter the answer, He will continue to provide in some way or another tomorrow morning when I hear about who I will be living with next year. I don't deserve the way He has consistently sustained me over the past three or so months when all I have done is remove my trust in Him.
There were two things that have really struck me hard tonight:

• I have been going to a bible study on Thursday nights and tonight Allie shared her heart about how she came to know Jesus and while I know that I know that I know I am a follower of Christ lately with all my worry and lack of trust I have greatly doubted God and have known that I have been dead for quite some time, but now I truly understand that I am dead. We are going through Colossians and today we were in 2:6-15 but the verses that really hit home were 13 and 14...

When you were dead in your transgressions and the uncircumcision of your flesh, 

He made you alive together with Him, having forgiven us all or 

transgressions, having canceled out the certificate of debt consisting of decrees against us;

and He has taken it out of the way, having nailed it to the cross. 

Colossians 2:13-14

Even though I have heard these verses over and over again, I cannot get over the fact that even though I was dead in my sin, so dead that Christ couldn't even associate or look at me, He has entirely and completely forgotten and forgiven me for everything I have done wrong and all that I will do wrong... He has nailed it to the cross. Wow.. That hurts to even think about MY sin being nailed to the cross... It is amazing. His grace is magnificent! 

• Second, I was reading my dear friends blog tonight and she just recently posted about kind of the same thing I am experiencing right now and the verse she used really hit home. It is such a strange feeling to me because not a lot of things have been able to do that lately.. 

Cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you;

He will never allow the righteous to be shaken.

Psalm 55:22

I am so grateful for a God that strengthens me and for a God that will carry my burdens so I no longer have to worry. 

God, today I give you all my worries, all my cares, all my burdens. 

Sustain me Oh Lord. 

The past week or so has been crazy. I am in desperate need of spring break. Only four more days of classes and then it begins! Even though I will be working for the majority of the break, it is will be such a relief to not have classes to worry about for a while!

The countdown is beginning for so many different things! Within the next four months I will be experiencing a lot of different things that I have never had the opportunity to before.

• For Christmas I got David tickets to go see a Brewers-Braves game. So we leave in 31 days to go to Atlanta! I am killing three birds with one stone here. One I have never been to a MLB game, two I have never been to Atlanta, and three the farthest I have ever driven is to Fort Smith... I am so excited though! Even bought a shirt for the game! 
• Just 60 days from now I will officially have my first year of college under my belt! What a relief! Only three more years and I will be graduated and coming back for a MAT in education! 
• In just 64 days I will be leaving for Kenya! Man, I cannot believe the time is already that close.. I feel like just yesterday I was making plans to start saving to buy my plane ticket! How crazy to think that I am already only 2 months from leaving! 

I am not certain about the other dates for sure, but in addition I will also be going to Chicago for my very first time this summer and moving into my first apartment! It has been so much fun to get to begin all the planning and getting to start picking out colors! 

The last thing I wanted to share was this picture of the outline of Africa. I thought it was really neat and I just love the words within it. I really hope that God will reveal to me the deeper picture of what Africa is while I am there this summer. 

It's only the beginning..

I have recently gotten really into reading other people's blogs and it has really made me want to start my own. I have no intentions of people actually reading mine. I basically just want to write for my own sake, in order to get my own thoughts in order. This will be a place that I share how I am growing in the Lord, how I am struggling and all of the wonderful journeys and opportunities that arrise.


Life AFRICA:
This summer I am going to embark on a month long journey to Nairobi, Kenya. Therefore, much of my posts up until that time will have to do with how I am preparing to be the feet of Christ there in the villages, orphanages, among fellow college students and where ever else Christ will allow me to be! I leave May 15th and I will return June 12th. I would love for you to join me in praying for several things:

• For the locals that I and the others who will be there come in contact with. Pray for God to begin softening their hearts now inorder for them to desire the good news when we get there. 
• For God to continue providing me with financial support. I am so close to reaching my goal, but for security reasons need to save about 500 more. 
• For my own heart to be softened. Pray that God would move in my life these last two and a half months before leaving and that I would be fully devoted to Him in all that I do. 

Thank you for the prayers that have been said and those that will be said.