It's That Mango Time Of Year Again

A few weeks ago I stopped to drink freshly blended mango juice. A real (cheap) treat this time of year in India. It's mango season and you don't get them all year round.

As we pulled over to the stand I was acutely aware that it seems like just yesterday that we were drinking mango juice from this very same stand - yet it was last year. How can this be...?

I am often overwhelmed by the passage of time. One day drifts in to another and a week turns into a month and then a year.

Today I've been scrolling through my blog, looking for something. It's amazing how years of my life are passing before my eyes in seconds.

There's just this one life and it's all over so quickly. Thank heaven for the hope of heaven.

What I've Been Up To

This summer vacation hasn't been much of a vacation for me at all. In fact, I've had more work than ever.

After Phoebe got married all the cooking work fell solely on me (altho my nieces do help.) Plus the addition of 6 extra children and no school. Well, it's just one more week and then O, I, and the girls head to Bombay from June 1st to the 5th to get P.'s passport and American birth certificate, etc. We'll take a little vacation there, plus it will be nice to not have to cook all the time.

On June 5th in the evening we have a guest coming from the US who will be with us til after church on Sunday the 7th and then on Monday the 8th - school reopens! Yay yay yay!!!

In this last week I am going to attempt to finally get out village pastor updates to supporters and write a newsletter. Not a ton of work, but it's backed up on me and I'd really like to get it done. One more week.

The Last - Uhh - Month

I am still around, my computer seems to be working again. I just tend to sleep or organize or cook nowadays when I have nothing else to do.

It's been an intense time since November. Getting the house ready to move in, the house opening, moving, CHRISTMAS, VBS, New Year's and a team from the USA. Not to mention I am a mother of 3 young children and 8 months pregnant*. Whew.

However, I've had a great time and wouldn't have it any other way. I'll sleep when I'm dead. You can put that on my tombstone.

* For those wondering, I am due on Feb 15.

**I promise - pictures, lots of them. Soon.

God With Me

I was reflecting over the last month that O. has been away and I realized that I have not faced a single major problem in all this time. Wow. Thank You Lord.

A Little Hope

After my lousy Christmas this post on a friend's blog lifted me up. Check it out here.

(link now works)

Still Attacking

Satan has really been attacking us this week. In our family, in our ministry. Please do pray for us.

Yet through it, I have had the sweetest taste of the Lord's goodness to me. I wouldn't trade that.

And We're Moving - Again

We got the news this morning that our house owner sold the house we are currently living in and we have to be O-U-T in a month. Lovely.

So, I'm not really too stressed since we are building our own house and hope to be in it in the beginning of the new year. But we are still going to have to find a house (minimum 2 bathrooms) to live in in the interim - which means moving my entire house twice in the course of the next 4 or 5 months.

Almost there - just Almost there to our own home where we will never have to fear being kicked out at a moment's notice.

I heard the news while I was on the way to browsing at the furniture store and the jewelry store. (my birthday is tomorrow) Shopping helped - a lot. I decided to wait on all furniture till we're in the new house and I exchanged 3 pieces of old jewelry for 3 pieces of new jewelry (you can do that here).

In addition to the shopping, I'm feeling pretty OK in general. I had a few moments of stress earlier today where I would think, why do I feel bad? Did I hurt someone's feelings, Did someone not treat me nicely, was I overcharged and cheated on something I bought? Oh no, I'm just internally contemplating the effort and expense of Moving - Again. Sigh.

Stolen And Found

I promised you a story last week. Here it is.

Several of us were going to an out of town meeting last Wednesday and we were all going in our car. We were to meet at our school/church at 5:30 and go together. When I arrived at school I looked over from the car and saw people in the compound but no one was coming to the car. After a couple minutes I got out and walked over.

I asked where everyone was and was pointed up to the 2nd floor. As I reached the top of the steps I heard this voice say, "Everyone come up here fast, I found something!"

At that, several people (who were supposed to be getting in the car and going with me) went rushing past me up the stairs. I caught one of them who was lagging behind and blocked his way.

"Somethings disappeared hasn't it." I asked.

"Yes, Madam." And off he went.

It turns out our (very expensive) LCD projector was "missing." (think: stolen) Oh dear, that's not good.

But whoever took it, did it during the day and hid it on our school roof where construction was going on. It was hidden under some construction materials. The thief would return in the night to smuggle it away under cover of darkness.

By God's grace our Choir team was leaving on Thursday morning to sing at a conference and we were taking all our instruments and materials - including the LCD - with us. Our sound guys knew immediately that it was missing. It must have been spirited away during the school hours when the church was open and someone was working inside.

Needless to say, Everyone was VERY relieved. And our Ministry President, Mr. Praveen, was crowned hero of the day for the quick thinking to check the roof and actually find the projector.
Whew.

This entire situation was made worse since it came immediately on the heels of the court case, etc.

Stinkin Internet Connection

After writing my "Please Pray" emails and posting my "This is what is happening over here" posts my Internet went down. It was out for the count for about 2 1/2 days. It came up this morning, but while it was out I was a little uneasy knowing that people were praying for us and worrying about us and there was no update. If you haven't already noticed - I'm communicaty. I get a little shaky when I feel like I should, or just downright, want to communicate.

I'm thinking the whole no Internet thing was part of the spiritual battle going on.

Satan shuts down the lines of communication, yet, unwittingly keeps people praying for longer than they may normally would have, hence, God's purposes prevailed? It's possible.

Oh, other than being communicaty, I'm also an optimist.

The Court Case

The school problem is going to court tomorrow morning. The time in the US EST will be about 9:30Pm on Monday night. Please pray for us this problem progresses on.

The other people are claiming that we have attempted to beat them and that we are here only to change peoples' religions, etc. Lies.

I take comfort in David's words to Goliath:
"I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty."

Please keep on praying for all the people involved. Thanks.

Men Of Action

The situation I wrote about previously continues and we pray. I think it is harder for the men to wait on the Lord than us women. They want to be doing something.

Hungry

It's the last day of the month - so that means -Fasting Prayer!

I really do love fasting prayer days. We have them from 10AM to 4PM on the last day of every month. It's a special time to come together as a body and corporately present our requests to God.

But I gotta be honest with you, it's 9:24AM and I'm hungry. Really Really Hungry - already.

Death And Life

(I'd just like to add a little note that this is my 500th post. So, that's pretty exciting for me, I can still clearly recall my 100th!)

This has been week of funerals and births. On Tuesday, the recently retired pastor of the CNI (Church of North India) church in our city died. He had been in the hospital for several days and died from complications from Diabetes. His service was Tuesday afternoon. It was in the CNI church and it was totally in the local language which I do not speak nor understand well. Where we were seated we couldn't see the front where all the "action" was happening and when they started to put garlands on his body we slipped out. Mainly because we spent most of the hour just trying to keep our eyes open. I went ready to cry, but it was a pretty dry funeral.

On Thursday we got news that the husband of one of our teachers died. He was a young man in his thirties with 2 young boys. He had been sick for a very long time. He was an alcoholic. We went flying through the city on motorcycles to the teacher's house because the body was being buried in another village and these things need to be done very quickly over here. We missed meeting our teacher, she had already left for the village. The body (wrapped - he had Hepatitis) was still there and we looked at it, our pastor prayed, and off they went.

By Friday we got news that a co-worker's wife who is 7 1/2 months pregnant was admitted in the hospital because she was losing some amniotic fluid. She's on bed rest for a week.

And then early Saturday morning my newest niece, Juliana, was born.

And through it all I didn't shed a tear. A new record for me.

Mental Exhaustion

Last Wednesday we had a Cottage Meeting at our house. That's what we call the weekly Bible Studies at our church. They rotate from house to house. This is the first time we've hosted in a year and also the first time since G. was born. We decided instead of snacks we would serve a full meal at the end.

I expected 50 people, planned for 60.

One hundred people came. At 6:30, when people started arriving a half hour before the meeting started, I was on the phone ordering more food.

In the end, everyone ate and by Thursday I was mentally exhausted. I hoped to veg-out most of the day but I got a phone call early in the morning that a student from our school had died. He had been in the hospital a month, they thought he would recover, but he didn't. I heard it was Dengue Fever, I really don't know. He was in 9th grade and from a Sikh family. The family was going to burn the body at 11Am, we got there around 10 to pay our respects. All our teachers, 9th and 10th grade students and ministry staff came. O. and Aiyub said a few words, we prayed and left.

Very sad. It wore me out more. It was some week, let me tell you. I'm just starting to dig out.

The good news is, it's Wednesday again - Cottage Meeting - and not at my house!

On Top Of My Computer

Do you see him? Do you see my little friend who came to visit me this morning?

Oh, there he is.
Ah. What a nice little guy to pose so prettily for the camera. He looks like a rock star sitting on top of that CD.

He's a gecko. They hang around our wall and eat our bugs. I like them most of the time but they do tend to poop in inconvenient places - like my soap dish.

Dad And Em Have Gone

Dad and Em flew out last night and are in the air as I write. It was a great time with them and now I am finally ready to get back to my routine after 5 months away. E. & C. started school today. - Pictures to come.

*Many pictures of the last week - ready to be posted. Yay Yay!

Back in the saddle again...

Still Somewhat Jetlagged

I figured it would take about 8 days to get past the jet lag and it did. We are finally getting over it but I think that's why I haven't written much. It's not for lack of something to post. Much to say, much to post. Drowsy Drowsy Drowsy.

Also, My dad and niece are coming on Wednesday and our Bible College 1st ever graduation starts on Friday and runs through Sunday and then school starts for E. and C. on Monday and then we're going on a 4 day vacation with Dad and Em. This doesn't even bring up our house ground-breaking ceremony, G.'s baby dedication or Father's Day.

yeah, lots on the plate right now, running around and getting ready - hence loads to write not a lot of time - well, mostly it's the low-energy thing.

Ready, Set,... Gone

My dad calls O. a "glutton for punishment" and it's really true. Literally hours after arriving home in India he had reviewed all the work and seen the new stuff and then was off to the state of Orrisa for a week long speaking engagement at a youth conference. He'll be home on Saturday.

It's really not bad. It gives the rest of us the opportunity to adjust at a slower pace. I can get the kitchen and living room painted, unpack, visit, shop. (By the way, E., C., and I have all been up since about 5AM, It's a good time to get stuff done.)

Saying that makes me think about the weather, it's HOT, but not nearly as hot as I had thought it could be, we're cooling down in preparation for the rainy season to start any day now.

Another thing about being up this early is that I can see that we have been infested. There is this nasty rodent here that looks like a combination between a rat and shrew and there must be at least 2 in my kitchen because I've been watching them in between typing and scratching my mosquito bites and they're skeeving me out. There's gonna be some killing going on - as soon as my sister-in-law wakes up to take care of it. Yeeee!

To Finish Up

Back to my post of the other day about The American Museum of Natural History... I now know why they call the book, "Dinosaurs in the Attic."

All the dinosaur bones are on the 4th (top) floor. Naturally we worked our way up there and saw them last. Bad idea.

This, apparently is what everyone does because by the time we got there around 3PM - it was packed.

If you visit the museum (and I do recommend it) visit the 4th floor first!

A Dream Fulfilled

I had one big thing that I really wanted to do while in the USA during this trip. A visit to the American Museum of Natural History in New York City.

I thought of the person I would most like to visit the museum with and that was my friend, Kat. We had both read, "Dinosaurs in the Attic" by Richard Preston which is all about the museum and I certainly didn't want to go with my kids!

Kat was game and off we went today to NYC.

We had a fabulous time. If you are wondering, the movie, "A Night in the Museum" was to have taken place there. This was not the reason I wanted to visit, although it is a cute movie.

Oh no, it all started long ago with the novel, "Relic" by Preston and Child. But what really got me interested are Preston and Child's' later novels that have Agent Pendergast as the protagonist - don't get me started. OK, I won't since I am getting kicked off the computer - will continue later...