Spiders, Beetles, & Mice, Oh My!

When I arrived here in India I settled into a nice little room upstairs in the guest house.  I was told that bats have lived in that room before but it had been some time so I probably had nothing to worry about.  About a week later I started hearing my little "friend" speak to me at night.  I was not about to have the thing fly down and bite my face in the night so I took the kind offer of Christianna (one of the other volunteers here) and moved into her room downstairs.

Since I've been in my new room Christianna and I have encountered a nice big spider (who is now in Heaven), a wonderful beetle friend (we were kind enough to spare his life), and a mouse that I threw out of the house (but we're pretty sure he came back the very same night).  Wow, maybe the bat making noises upstairs wasn't something to move out about!  But nevertheless, it has been an adventure and I feel like I could now take on the world if ever need be.

 Our spider friend just moments before his death.

This my friend may seems like just an ordinary Cheeto bag, but I must tell you that it is much more!  We call this our "Indian mouse trap."  Clearly mice like all types of cheese because this is where the mouse in our room was camping out.  I kept hearing a crinkling noise as I tried to fall asleep a couple nights ago and finally I got up to check it out.  I figured out that it was the mouse in the Cheeto bag, in the trash can.  I debated for a little while weather I had the guts to grab the bag and throw it out or not and finally I manned up!  I may or may not have screamed during the process but the point here is that I took care of business.  As soon as I the bag hit the ground outside I saw the creature scurry away...only to come back and ruffle through another trash can later that night!  Oh India.

Here below is a clip Christianna and I took the night we took care of the spider...I had it all under control despite what it may seem in the video. =)

Hope When I Feel None

Faith.

Hope.

Love.

"...but the greatest of these is love." 1 Corinthians 13:13

We often hear a lot about love...which is understandable and wonderful.

"...if you have faith as small as a mustard seed..." Luke 17:6
Another subject often brought up, faith.  Again, faith is something that should be brought up.

"We have this hope as an anchor for the soul, firm and secure..." Hebrews 6:19

Hope...ahh hope, why are my ears so unfamiliar with your sound?

The past few days God has really been pressing hope on my heart.  It started Saturday night when I was feeling empty, broken, useless...hopeless.  I decided to go to bed and listen to some music to maybe give me some comfort (through Jesus of course).  Well I tell you God wanted me to listen to that music too.  I listened to a song ("How Great" by Enter the Worship Circle) that I had heard many times before, and yet for some reason, I never really listened to it until that night.  The words hit me, "Hope is not beyond the dust of Your feet, hope is not beyond the tears that You bleed, hope is not beyond the fold of Your robe..."  The point was made, hope is not beyond my God.  I felt hopeless, but that is a feeling, I cannot trust a feeling, but I can trust my God.  It gave me comfort even though I still felt a sadness.  

The next day I went to church here in Ooty and the sermon was ALL about hope (by the way, I love Jesus...He didn't have to do that for me, but He did out of His kindness).  

[Hope in Greek] 

ἐλπίς 

"elpis"

pronunciation:  el / pece'

definition:  

1. Anticipate with pleasure. 

2. Expectation that God and good are coming.

Hope is something that allows us to not give up or quit.  I will admit that being here now for three weeks in India, I am feeling a little useless and disappointed in some areas.  It's really easy to want to give up (or to give up).  It's easy to say how pointless what I am doing is.  It's easy to look at the negative.  But hope gives a different light, God's giving me a different light.  He's telling me to look up and to expect good to happen.  He wants me to anticipate with pleasure because He has wonderful things for me and they're going to be even more wonderful if I wait with a servants heart and a God pleasing attitude...even when I don't feel like it.  He tells me (us) in Jeremiah 29:11 that His plans are not to harm us but to give us a HOPE and a future.  If He has promised to give me a hope and a future, then I will wait with hope for my future, and I will serve with hope right now.

Love motivates.

Hope expects.

Faith acts.

Love, hope, and faith are all so very important and they all go together.  My prayer for my life in this time is that God will show me how to love others with His heart, being motivated to love and care even more.  My prayer is that I will have faith enough to act upon what God has set in front of me...or even acting on something I may have to search for a little.  My prayer is that I will have a hope that waits and expects in gladness for my God to show up and show off.  A hope that may not necessarily be coming from happiness, but that is stirring up joy.

Hakuna Matata

Don't Judge Me

I just have to say that I love being able to not shower for three days, and wearing the same clothes two days in a row, and not having a single comment made about it.

Go India! =)

Take A Looksee

Here are a few pictures I have snapped for ya'll.

Enjoy!

On the (7ish hour) car ride to Ooty

Am I the only one who LOVES the clouds being so close?

Such a pretty view from the school

Some of Ooty

I love the symbols, and I thought this was great because one of my supporting churches back home is the Union Church =)

Such cuties!

Love it.

Well there is a little sneak preview into the past week of my life.

Love ya'll!

Hakuna Matata

Look At The Time...

A year ago today I left for Kenya.  Today I am writing from India. 

I love that.  I love that God has plans and dreams for my life that I NEVER would have thought up on my own.  He is so far above me.  It's great!

Is this my first blog from my guest house?..yes, I think it is!  Well then let me just tell you how much I love it.  It is wonderful.  It's super cute, I wish you all could see it for yourselves...or maybe you could (hint hint, come do missions in India!).  I love everything here.  The weather is so nice and chilly; I heart wearing sweaters.  The other volunteers, wow, they are a blessing from God.  The owners of the guest house are super adorable too...them and their five children, oh my goodness, I am so delighting in God right now.  This day could definitely be consider "Thanksgiving Day" for me because that is the only prayer I have spoken to God so far.  I have thanked Him for anything and everything I see or think of.  I cannot help it, I am sooo grateful. 

Today I met 4 of the 5 girls in the aftercare program at the staff lunch.  They are great and I thoroughly enjoyed my time.  I totally forgot that I should be expecting spicy food.  haha, whoops!  No worries though, I remembered soon enough. =)

Right now I am resting and snacking on Pure Magic.  It's pretty much an oreo cookie...only spicy.  Okay, okay, just kidding.  That would be weird, it's not spicy at all.  It just more like the off brand of an oreo cookie.  Not bad at all.

There is not much more to say at this point except for I am blessed, loved, and tremendously joyful in Him.

Love from India,

Hakuna Matata

(can I do that?..."India" and "Hakuna Matata" at the same time?...)

The Eagle Has Landed!

Indeed I have!! I am sitting in a Hotel in New Delhi right now.  Hotel Impress actually.  And let me tell you, I am impressed!

Travel so far has been great.  I went from Detroit to Chicago on a baby plane.  Then from there it was a straight shot to New Delhi.  When I arrived and I gathered my luggage I was trying to figure out where to go.  After talking to a few different people I finally understood that I needed to take a bus or a taxi to the airport I will be flying out of to get to Bangalore.  After getting a ticket for a taxi, finding one and getting my luggage and myself inside, I was told by the drivers they could not take me to the airport.  After some time of me telling them I did not want a guest house but I just wanted to go to the airport now, I realized what they were trying to tell me.  They won't let anyone enter the airport until 3 hours before their flight.  I had about 7ish hours to kill so my driver (Kumar) took me to this hotel I am blogging from. =)  It is actually really nice, which I thought my mom would like! 

It is 12:43 am right now and my driver should be here around 2:00 am to take me to the airport.  I am nine hours ahead so at home (at least in MI) it's a little after 3:00 pm. 

My emotions have definitely gone back and forth.  And I have to remember that they are exactly that, "emotions!"  Anyway, at times I will be like, "Wow, thank you God.  The peace you are giving me is amazing and I can't even understand how it is happening."  And then every once in a while that changes to (with some tears), "What the heck am I doing?"  But it was good because every time I asked myself that I was like, "Oh yeah, I'm obeying God."  Gotta love His confirmation! =)

I just got a picture with the man who works here at the hotel.  He is very kind as well.  Enjoy and I hope to update you soon (also hoping I will have some more pictures for you)!