For The Orphans of Flomina & Into Abba's Arms

Many will say with their mouths "Give us today our daily bread,"
but their hearts desire nothing less than excess and riches
But you know your Shepherd's voice
and believe Him at His word
when He says that he is sufficient, regardless of circumstance

"Jehovah Jireh, my provider," you say,
He has led me here, how could I doubt and think He would forsake me now?
For you, a heart of gratitude seems to be the only appropriate response

Some will look at you with eyes of pity
because your pockets are empty
but sweet brothers and sisters
you are the ones to be envied
for Christ has entrusted you with the invaluable
knowledge of Himself

You know our Savior in a way few ever will
for you recognize His hand
to be the hand that feeds you daily
He does not leave you lacking anything
Oh no, your souls have been filled
and overflow into the lives of those around you

The kingdom of heaven awaits you
May you continue to wake each day
and declare with your life
"The Lord is my chosen portion."

As you are loved, so love

Go in peace

"Give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my daily bread. Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, "Who is the Lord?" Or I may become poor and steal and so dishonor the name of my God." Proverbs 30:8

"To You the helpless commits himself, You have been the helper of the fatherless." Psalm 10:14

James 1:27

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world."

Great Last Day In India

This morning was a really neat time. Thank you for your prayers. Besides getting a little choked up at one point, everything went smooth. I am horrible when it comes to putting feelings into words. Many of you that I love so deeply have received cards, or letters, or emails because of this. I feel like I can put into written word that which is most hidden away in my heart, the things I feel strongest, the things that bring my passions to life. All that to say, I wrote a benediction last night, a prayer to read over the group as I closed. I posted it below. Based around Ephesians 5:8 "For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light."





My prayer is that pictures like these...of the beautiful dark brown eyes, and bright white smiles...will stay fixed in my mind. Even on the days that I would like to forget, the days when life in the States seems just too good to give up in order to go. May they be a reminder of the millions that have not heard the name of Christ. I am leaving different than I was when I came. Thank you Lord for sanctification. On to Africa...

Benediction For Chandigarh

May you accept the invitation to not only meet,
but to know intimately the One who created you
The only true God, Jesus Christ
The one who died for you
Oh but He is no longer in the grave!
He is alive
And will come again

May your acknowledgment of the cross, move to an understanding of your redemption
That you would recognize the value of your soul
for you were bought with a great price

May the Truth, Jesus Christ Himself, set you free
So you may forever speak of hope found in Him alone
And testify, that indeed, His grace is sufficient

May you walk as children of the light
Reflecting Jesus, the Light of the World
In such a manner
That even in the darkest of the dark
None could deny
Jesus is the Christ, from who anything that is
good or true comes

As you are loved, so love
Go in Peace

Please Pray...

Today I was asked to speak for the school assembly tomorrow! The WHOLE school, which is about 1200 kids and the staff. Opportunity? Yes! Speaker? I am not. But God spoke through a donkey, surely there is hope for me. I will be speaking on John 14:5-6 "How can we know the way?" "Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." It will be at about 8 AM tomorrow morning India time, which is about 9:30 PM Monday night for ya'll. Please pray I will be invisible and the Gospel will be heard with clarity.

Phillipians 4:4

These little ones blessed my heart today, more importantly, Jesus was glorified by their sweet voices proclaiming His scripture so gently. May we, as children of Christ, rejoice in Him ALWAYS, regardless of circumstance, because of who He is.

You Are Still God

This is my prayer in the desert
When all that's within me feels dry
This is my prayer in the hunger and need
My God is the God who provides

This is my prayer in the fire
In weakness or trial or pain
There is a faith proved of more worth than gold
So refine me Lord through the flame

I will bring praise
No weapon formed against me shall remain
I will rejoice, i will declare
God is my victory and He is here

This is my prayer in the battle
When triumph is still on its way
I am a conqueror and co-heir in Christ
So firm on His promise I'll stand

All of my life, In every season
You are still God
I have a reason to sing
I have a reason to worship

This is my prayer in the harvest
When favour and providence flow
I know I'm filled to be emptied again
The seed I've received I will sow

Pull The Plank Out Kate

Cost of an appointment with an Indian doctor: 100 rupees
Cost of 3 different prescription Indian meds: 94 rupees
Cost of feeling better: PRICELESS

Lame. I know, but I am just so happy to feel like I am on the road to recovery! I started feeling bad Tuesday night and by Wednesday night felt horrible. But being the hardhead that I am needed to get as bad as possible before I would admit I was sick and needed help.

There is no doubt in my mind that this is exactly where I am supposed to be right now. He told me to be still, and wait, quietly. And confirmed it a hundred times over. Wait. Quietly. Still. Silently...I wasn't sure what that looked like, or meant, yet I didn't exactly try to hard to figure it out. And now I am here. When I was talking to Mom on the phone, all I could really say was I just keep asking Him what He has to reveal to me in all of this, and she replied, what did you hear back? Silence. I didn't have an answer. How many times do I lay a question before God and then not listen in the least bit for a response. WAY TOO OFTEN. What a liar that makes me, when I claim out of my mouth how I want to hear from God, yet I refuse to stop and listen. I absolutely cannot stand conversations with people that aren't actively listening. I would rather sit in silence. Really. How ironic that this has been my role lately in my relationship with the Lord, yapping away.

"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks him. It is good that one should wait quietly for the salvation of the Lord...Let him sit alone in silence." Lamentations 3:26,28

"Indeed, none who wait for You shall be put to shame..." Psalm 25:3

Still

Still He blesses those on whom He sets His love in a way that humbles them, so that all the glory may be His alone. Still He hates the sins of His people, and uses all kinds of inward and outward pains and griefs to wean their hearts from compromise and disobedience. Still He seeks the fellowship of His people, and sends them both sorrows and joys in order to detach their love from other things and attach it to Himself. Still He teaches believers to value His promised gifts by making them wait for those gifts, and compelling them to pray persistently for them, before He bestows them. So we read of God dealing with His people in the Scripture record, and so He deals with them still. His aims and principles of action remain consistent; He does not at any time act out of character. Our ways, we know, are pathetically inconstant-but not God's.

Knowing God, J.I. Packer

Weekend Events

What a great weekend! Saturday we went and spent time in a village in another state, the people live in grass huts. There was an accident 2 weeks ago and 9 of the huts were burned. The people were so sad because they lost their Bibles in the accident, they said that 15 were lost. I was able to share my testimony and speak for a while. There is one lady that is the first Christian in the village and she is losing her eyesight, she is such a strong woman, it was a blessing to have the opportunity to pray with her, not only for her eyesight but for her continued growth in the Lord.

Yesterday church was awesome, the rocks won't be crying out on the Indians behalf anytime soon :) Pass the tambourine! I loved listening to their praises in Hindi...I think that will be one of my favorite parts of heaven, hearing all of the worship in the different languages...AMAZING!?!?

Last night we went and spent some time with some Nepali people. Its crazy how many different people groups are in and around here...I was stoked because I knew that I would be semi close to Nepal, (in the grand scheme of the globe) when I found out i was coming here, I don't know why, but it has always been a country on my list of maybe's, that seems so ridiculous to type, as if my list matters, we'll see where God sends me...ANYWAYS, they were beautiful people. Gentle, and kind. I don't know if they could be called refugees but they came to India because there is more opportunity here for them (can't even IMAGINE what Nepal must be like then). I seem to find myself with the people groups that have picked up and gone to a different country in hopes of something more for themselves and their families :)

Went to school today, the teachers are busy preparing their classrooms and lesson plans for the kiddos that are coming. I CAN'T WAIT TO MEET ALL OF THE KIDS!?!?! The school is so incredibly unapologetically Christian. LOVE IT! The most amazing part is that it reaches, orphans, Hindus, Muslims, Sikhs, all there learning about our Savior and what He did for them. They are looking for a third grade teacher for this year...interesting huh?

Back to the good ole days in Guadalajara, climbing up on rooftops with my Mac to catch an internet signal. Where to start…I am SO grateful that I am living with an Indian family while I am here, my time here would just not be the same if I was in a hotel. Not to mention the family I am living with is absolutely INCREDIBLE. Pastor Nazir, his wife Sorojani and their gorgeous daughter Sanoli, have made be feel SO welcome. Sonali is awesome…she resembles what the attribute “meek” looks like in my mind, the word that I always kind of cringe at when I come to it in the Bible because it is so NOT who I am. She gave me her room, and I am so glad she is here while I am. She wants to take me for a ride on her motorcycle…I can’t think of a better place to get over my fear! Driving here is like one huge game of chicken, and everyone, and everything is invited to participate, carts, bicycles, scooters, cows, goats, you name it, its on the road. The trip was good…went smoothly, I think that my night in Dubai helped me adjust time wise. I did ok my first day but then hit a wall in the afternoon in Delhi before we got a train here to Chandigarh, I curled up on top of my bag on the floor of the train station as we waited and passed out immediately, thats probably the most I have blended in since I have been here, sleeping on the ground seemed to be the thing to do at the train station. Pastor has a small group in from Hong Kong for the weekend serving, they greeted me at the airport, and have been really fun. One of the only things I love as much as missions is spending time with people who have the same passion. The college kids make me feel old because I realize I am no longer one of “them”, but they are a blast and fun to laugh with. There is a sweet girl that is finishing up her time here and will leave Monday, she is going to become a BISON in August! How fun. It has been great reminiscing telling her all of the great things/memories I have from Shawnee and my time at OBU.

Yesterday I went with my house mom, who is also the principal at the school I will be teaching at, to order my suit that I will teach in. It is their traditional, everyday wear here. You pick the fabric and the style..I had EVERY intention of going in and coming out with a “plain” suit, a pretty green or brown color is what I had in mine, definetly a solid…well plain in English apparently translates to polka dots AND stripes in Hindi, YES, TOGETHER, and that is exactly what I walked out of there with! So...the seamstress told me I could pick it up tonight. If you are lucky I will maybe show you a picture someday…I am on a don’t ask don’t tell policy with the food…I will try whatever is put in front of me, it is just better if I don’t know what it is ☺

Yesterday after lunch I was sitting and talking with Nazir and his wife and I asked them where they met, a question that normally comes up with any couple after a while. I didn’t really understand what their response was, and they could tell I looked confused, and they repeated ARRANGED. I was like OH MY! I just kept saying, I can’t imagine, and they were DYING laughing. They thought my reaction was priceless and we went on to have a discussion on the pros/cons of arranged marriage. They couldn’t think of a couple that they knew of that went about marriage this way and are now divorced…They spoke of love as a commitment made, not a feeling. It was really interesting.

Yesterday we were working in slum #1 of the 51 in this city. We visited with about 4 different families that have converted to Christianity, we prayed with them. Then we gave testimonies and presented the gospel story to a group outside. There seems to be a mix of Hindu, Muslim and Sikhs in whatever gathering you are around, it is never just one type.

Today we spent the morning at a sewing center in a different state, one that is on the way to Pakistan. It is funded by Pastor Nazir and a Christian lady runs it. There were about 15 to 20 Hindu girls my age and they are there to learn how to be a seamstress in order to support their families. This lady then ministers to them and tells them about Jesus. It was a really neat time. We also got to spend some time with their children who were in the next room, they were adorable of course.

Forgive the scattered nature of this entry and those to come, it is hard to put everything into words when I have not yet completely processed things for myself. Thank you for your prayers. I just keep waking up and going to sleep at night thanking Him, I am so grateful to not only be here but to have the privledge to speak of Jesus Christ, what He has done in my life and what He longs to do in the lives of those yet to know Him.

"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me,
because the Lord has anointed me to bring good news to the poor;
He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives,
and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."
Isaiah 61:1