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…

The Good Or The Bad...

I'm sitting here contemplating where to begin. I've been blogging in my head lately, if you hadn't noticed. It isn't really all my head's fault - I was away for five days and when I was around my Internet was on the fritz.

But I am back! And more determined than ever to be a better communicator and to Spill My Guts.

Now the debate is whether to start with the good or the bad.

I like good news first, so here goes. Last week I spent a wonderful four days - without family* - in beautiful Goa. I was part of a women's retreat and what a retreat it was. The purpose of it was to just LOVE on us. Fifty women attended, twenty-five women flew over from the US to serve us and love on us.

I feel like my tank got filled up and not just a little bit. Our speaker was Sue Eenigenburg, the author of Screams in the Desert.I LOVE the name of this book. She was a fantastic speaker and so funny. Spoke right on our level. I think my favorite line of hers was... "One day due to power outages and lack of water, it took me ten hours to finish one load of wash. - I could have flown to Paris in nine." That still cracks me up.

I myself was blessed and blessed again and what a pleasure it was to see other women just transformed before my eyes. God moved mightily in our lives. Thank you to those who blessed me with this wonderful gift.

* Not even a single child screaming "Mommy" at me for Four Whole Days

Blogging - Last On My List

These days my list of things to do is REALLY long. Ssdly, blogging is near the end. Hence - til my life and load lightens up - I apologize for not being around.

Rebecca

Not Dead. Recovering.

What does happen to your blog if you die...

Thankfully, this is not a concern of mine at this time since I am still alive. No, I have not forgotten you, my beloved atld, I was just too busy to give you the time you deserve.

Sick And Tired

I've been blogging in my head quite a bit recently, unfortunately I don't remember* most of it.

I've had really bad lower back pain for the last 12 days and I thought it might be gynec related. I did see the doctor - 3 times - and went on 2 courses of antibiotics and by yesterday my pain was getting worse again. Long story short, I got an ultrasound done today (don't even get me started on having to not pee for hours on end...) and everything is normal. So, that's that. I didn't even take the report back to my doctor. I've decided to just live with the pain and let the Lord deal with it is His time. You can pray for me, that would be great.

I have got to get back on with my life, back pain or no.

The "Mommy Blog" seems to have turned into the "Medical Blog" over the last month and I'm tired of it. Enough is enough already.

*The doctor asked me my age and I am not kidding you, I had no idea. I was like, "36, oh, I don't know, maybe 35?" I'm still not sure. I had to count from my actual birthday which is September 1973 and I think that makes me 35?

What

I have a few minutes to update my blog but I cannot think of a single thing to write. After all the blogging in my head over the last week you'd think there would be something.

Too Hot To Blog

I am the excuse queen when it comes to not blogging. Actually, I have a standard that I like to upkeep of quality and regularity in my posting. When I fall short, well, you get an excuse post like this onew.

But it really is too hot to blog or do anything on the computer. I am overdue for an annual newsletter and since I only have time to work on the computer in the afternoons and evenings - it's just not getting done. Way way too hot.

I'm also feeling disturbed today. I got an email telling me about friends of ours who also work like us in India but are currently in the US, saying that they were in a terrible car accident. The wife just had a baby by C-section 3 weeks ago. By God's grace they all survived with broken bones and bruises. But it's had me feeling weird all day. Then the people who live behind us were piping the water out of our water tank for a roof they were putting on and they didn't even ask.

I just had to go out back, pull the pipe out in front of them and tell them that this is not common neighborhood water and you should ask people first before stealing from them. Hrmf.

If It's Any Consolation...

...I haven't been sleeping much lately either. Plenty 'O time to sleep (and blog) when we're dead! Alright, most probably I won't be blogging when I'm dead (or sleeping for that matter) but think of all the wonderful new blog topics we would have...

Busy. Yes, that's me. School starts next Monday and we've been working hard on getting teachers trained as well as everything else the beginning of school entails. Not to mention I now manage a store. Or that I took Saturday afternoon off to go see "Indiana Jones and the really fake looking Crystal Skull"*. Or having church friends over for dinner because their job is transferring them to another state, or having our Mission Director's mother in the hospital and her going for open heart surgery tomorrow, weddings, four (don't ask) children, a clogged drain pipe and a really dirty house.

Good night for heaven's sake.

* In Hindi - Like I have time to travel two hours away to see it in English
I just noticed I wrote "Indian" Jones - Twice!

It's February.

Can you believe it. February - and I haven't even blogged once til today. To be honest, I haven't even had time to Blog In My Head over the past week or two. Hmmmmm.

I have been LOVING being in charge, but it's a full time job.

On my 2nd day of being here without O. I was tested by just about every single member of O.'s family (Of which there are many who live with or near us). I laid down the law, gave some ultimatums, counseled and prayed. Since then everyone - family and non-family alike - has been in line. I have good people around me. Thank the Lord.

I'm keeping it tight over here.

Some things I have been dealing with:

1. The wife of one of our pastors is pregnant and due next week. Her BP is pretty high and she was admitted in the hospital for 2 days. They're not sure she'll be able to deliver without a C-section. They don't have any money. Her mother, only sister, and mother-in-law have all refused to come and stay with her during this time. I spent Thursday morning there.

2. We're interested in buying land for church/Bible College/etc. that is (was) owned by some Christian friends. Another person has purchased it, paid an amount of money but not all. We're also praying for it, but don't have the full money to buy out what the other people have already paid. The Christian family is stuck in the middle. I was there this afternoon sorting through this.

O. thrives on this kind of stuff, to me- it just sucks the blood right out a me. At the conclusion of today -All parties involved seem to be willing to wait a month til O. gets back. Whew.

3. One of our Rajasthan pastors was in an accident and a young child was killed. He's being threatened with being charged with murder. (I got that info this morning)

It's not all bad stuff - our church has made a hugh leap forward by appointing official Elders/Deacons this week. Something I have been working towards for years (literally.) Praise God.

Our Bible College is fully staffed, we'll have an official Library up and running next week. Yes!

My back hurts and I have some weird rash on my scalp, but umm, otherwise, I'm great.

That doesn't mean stop praying for me!