Christmas Night Pictures

And yet there was another program on Christmas night...
E. & C.'s dance (again)

Ladies garba - again... Me in a different outfit - not so mango-ish this time.

All in all, one of the best Christmas days I have had in a long time. Even though 2010 was difficult for me in many ways, it did have its highlights: i.e. my Birthday and Christmas Day.

Random Shots Of Christmas 2010 (I)

C. in her gorgeous Christmas dress from Grammy and Grandpop. Superstar! E.

C. & E. in their group dance on Christmas day.

Ladies Nativity Skit (I was the Holy Spirit)

Carol Singing group

Holy Spirit and Mary

Ladies Gujarati Garba Dance. You can't see me here, but I look like a ripe Mango.

Dance Troop

Christmas Stockings for the 1st Time ever! And they are stuffed! (Thanks Aunt Jenny & Uncle Jim)

G. opening her Christmas gift on Christmas Eve.

More pictures to come, but I have lost loading capabilities. Ahhh, India. More comprehensive photos on Facebook.

Karuna Kid Khristmas

For those of you who didn't catch this on Facebook, here are some pictures from the Karuna kids getting their Christmas gifts on Christmas Eve.
Ohhh, what did you get?

Pushpa reading a letter from a friend in the US.

Kusha

Rahul

A Great Big THANK YOU from all of us!

Strange Ways Of Faith or Happy 2011

I shared at our testimony time in church on New year's Eve that the thing I am most thankful for is that 2010 is OVER. It was a hard year for me. I have great hopes for 2011, however. One thing I can say for 2010 is that God taught me more in one year of my life than he had in all the previous years put together. Wow, that's a lot of teaching.

As in the strange ways of faith, He has brought me to a most childlike place. In my mind's eye I see myself, as a child, clinging on to Christ's hand and Him leading me somewhere. My eyes are squeezed shut, I don't know where I am going. When I open my eyes, where will I be?

But I trust Him, and believe it is going to be a place of joy.

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas!

I have not forgotten you.

Here is my to-do list for today, December 24th, Christmas Eve.

Get up at 5AM – pray
Make breakfast
Wash clothes (washing machine on the fritz – don’t ask)
Make lunch
10AM – have 30 children from our children’s home over to distribute their gifts.
Feed them snacks.
Staple some net onto a costume (faster than sewing)
Go to school for dance practice and skit practice
Come home, teach 3 friends how to make zucchini bread
(possibly get a pedicure???)
Pick up 2 dresses from tailor – wrap them
Get one last gift for a guest – wrap it (pos give this resp. to O.)
6PM be at church for gift exchange program – FUN.

Come home eat something (pos. make something to eat…)
Clean house for 9 guests arriving at the crack of dawn Christmas morning.

This is all I can remember – but my days generally look like this.

Throw in 4 small children and well… Talk to you in the new year…

Nat's Going Home

My dear niece Natalie will be heading back to the US tomorrow night and we are down to our last day with her in our home.
It has been such a huge blessing to have her here and part of our (Indian) family for the last several months. It is going to be sad and strange around here without her.

I am thankful for the months God gave me with her and the connection she is for me to my Arizona family. I am privileged to see the beautiful work that God has been doing in her life over the last months. And I am excited to see what He is going to do in her future. It is going to be wonderful.

Goodbye sweet Nat, (Map Didi), we're going to miss you so much.

I am so proud of you.

Groundbreaking At The Karuna Children's Home Land

(I am most definitely suited for indoors work...)

The cleared off section is the land that we officially purchased on Saturday Dec. 4th for the Karuna Children's Home project. We held church there on Sunday.

Nat's Birthday With Everyone

At church on Sunday Natalie shared a small testimony and we had a cake for her.

Putting the cake together
Feeding the cake

Map Didi's Birthday (#1)

My niece Natalie's first birthday celebration on Saturday. Hosted by her good friends. I didn't even bother decorating my house after this extravaganza...
B Happy

The cousins

Birthday Showers

P.

HB Pictures from E.'s 10th (Late!)

The Happy Birthday girl (November 18th) . Face Painting courtesy of Natalie...
Tiger.

C. with her best friend, Angel.

P.'s face was painted by her sister. Sitting on the flower pot eating candy.

We had a "Fair" -like theme. Lots of various games. Even the adults partook.