Just the Beginning

Over Germany Somewhere

my first plane ride!

Anit- sleeping during school! 

Shiva- goofball

View of the Himalayas from the yard!

Lilo, me, Silvana

Divendra- my student

My roommate Rupert. 

And this my friends is just the beginning :) 

This new life. A not very brief overview.

Well, I don’t even know where to begin. I guess I’ll just start… somewhere.

My daily life is completely different than anything I’ve ever done before. Firstly, I teach now. It’s funny because I did tell God that I would do anything He wanted me to do but teach. I never, ever wanted to be a teacher. Now look at me! God really does have a sense of humor folks!

Right now I’m teaching Devendra- he’s an eleven year old who is newer to the Shishya home. He came here with his brother Shiva. They came from a different part of India and speak a weird dialect of Hindi (not that I understand any dialect of Hindi) but neither of them speak any English. My job is to teach him for four periods English and Math. It’s pretty interesting trying to figure out what makes learning interesting for an 11 year old boy- but it’s also fun to see him remember letters he’s learned (or suggest words for a letter I’m teaching!) or when you see them finally understand how multiplication works.

I must admit that coming here and helping the boys study, teaching, and playing with the boys (while trying to teach them how to behave properly) and being in charge of devotions once a week. I’m gaining a new appreciation for parents and teachers.

My role here as a volunteer, working with the boys in the home is to help the house parents raise them to be strong Christian men. Sooooooooooo something else I have pretty much zero amount of experience in. It is really neat to talk to Kirran Uncle (I’m not positive that’s how you spell his name) and Ruth Auntie (their house parents) about the boys. They love them so much. They and the staff here have such a strong desire to see these boys growing up and growing spiritually to love the one true God. Now I’m put in a place to help see this vision through.

I know I’m jumping a lot but I think I need to explain something about Shishya that I didn’t understand before I came here. The Shishya home for boys is a place where boys from India and Nepal can come for a better chance. Most of them have parents (or some relative) but their families might be really poor and can’t afford to give them anything, or their parents might be sick. Many boys used to come from a leprosy backround where if they were to stay with their families they would eventually get leprosy themselves. So coming to Shishya is giving these boys a chance to have a life outside of sickness and poverty. It gives them an education, people who love them, and most importantly teaches them about their Father in heaven.

The school is a really cool ministry that I didn’t understand either. Kids from Selaqui come to Shishya School. The ages are playgroup (preschool)-8^th grade. Every morning they start off with singing praise songs and a Bible lesson. Moral Science is what they call the Bible lesson time here. 

Anyway…. Such is my life. But I think I like it :)

I'm here!!!

Well Hello from India, or shall I say Namaste?
My plain ride was rather long but I didn't die so I consider that quite the success :) I found my guide, Anand, easily, but later on the metro (subway) we did get separated. God took care of me and sent me a lovely christian girl named Lissy who was such an encouragement. She helped me find Anand and stayed with me the whole time while telling me about her life. (She's going to be a surgeon so she can make money to start a school in India for handicapped children or children with learning disabilites, it really is a neat story how God has worked in her heart). By the time Anand found me it was to late to take a bus to Dehradun so I ended up staying with a girl named Annie and her sister, Annie had just left Shishya and I had e-mailed her so it was neat to meet her. 
The next day we got a bus to Dehradun- it took about 9 1/2 hours even though it should've only take 6-7. But there was a Hindu pilgrimage going on so our bus took a detour to drop some people off so they could join.
Here at the Shishya home and school it really is such a neat place. 
I'm an assistant teacher in the nursery (preschool) there are two different nursery classes and each have about 40 children. It's quite crazy because they're each very hyper. They also don't speak english except for a couple of words so when I try and talk to them its a lot of guessing as to what they are saying. They're all so cute and its still pretty fun because you do get the gist of what they're trying to tell you.
I also help with homework with 3 boys from the home for an hour each day and I help a littler boy with english for about 45 minutes ish a day. 
At night there are devotions and game time. 
All the leaders at the Shishya home are so kind and spirit- filled. They really just want to see these boys and the children at the school thrive and learn about Jesus and what he's done for them. 
As for me I'm starting to get into the schedule here and I'm already loving hanging with these boys and getting to know them! I'll start taking pictures soon, I don't want to take any until they get to know me.
Thank you all for your support! 

Leaving!

Hello Blogworld! 
Well I'm leaving tomorrow! I don't really know what else to say besides that...
I've never flown before. I haven't been out of the country before. 
I certainly haven't done either of these things alone before.
It's a good thing I'm not alone, eh? 
I've got my parents support and help.
I've got my best friends packing for me (Hehe thanks guys :D)
I've got many friends encouraging me spiritually and financially supporting me.
Best of all I have a Best Friend who controls it all. Thanks God! 
People keep asking me if I'm scared or excited or however I'm feeling... so far I can't really tell.
I don't think I'm really that WAHOOOO about it. But I also haven't been sleeping well lately so maybe the tiredness is kicking in on that part. 
I'm not really scared because I wholeheartedly believe that God is in control of this situation and no matter what happens it is going to be good.
I think I'm just tired but ready to be there and get to know the people I've been talking to and hearing about. I'm ready to see this place called India and see what's what for myself. 
Ready or not I'm leaving tomorrow. I'll try to fill you guys in and show some pictures once I get there and a little settled in. :) 
Please keep praying for me, if anything just pray that I'll be rested and ready to go when I arrive. 
                                 Thanks all! 

Severe Mercy

True Christians realize that grace is free, but not many realize that mercy is often severe.

I've been finding that often times we come upon severe mercy but we just don't realize that is exactly what it is. We often call them trials. 

There is a wonderful book called A Severe Mercy that is a biography about a couple that is in a deep, deep love. In the end the wife dies so that her husband can love God more. A severe mercy. 

Isn't that what trials usually are? Bad things happen so we can grow closer to God. Learn about Him, understand different characteristics about Him in a personal way (like grace, forgiveness and redemption).

Trials force us to see things for what they are. Sin as sin and ourselves as the sinners we all are. 

While these trials are often irritating or heartbreaking, it is truly merciful of God to let these things happen to us.

When a friend or parent dies, we get rejected, we get lonely or depressed or whatever it is- God's heart breaks with us because He was man. He understands. HE GETS IT. 

He loves us, which means he hurts when we are hurt, and He is there for us when that happens. But it's merciful to us. Because when we are heartbroken and depressed. When we feel we can't go on anymore because it is just too hard. He is there. We can run to Him holding the pieces of our hearts with tears pouring out and say "God, Look what happened I don't know what to do, I'm lost and I don't understand why this had to happen. Help me. You're the only one who can". 

When we do that we get to know God as our Comforter, our Prince of Peace, our Hiding Place, a Friend, and our Strong Tower. We get to KNOW God. 

And that my friends- is a severe mercy.

Mercy is not giving us what we do deserve. We deserve eternal separation from God because of our sins but that is not what we get if we chose Him.

Philippians 3:8- Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ

Plane Ticket!

One of my friends was looking at my blog the other day and asked me to write another blog post: so here goes... this one's for you Liz!
I have my plane ticket now.
I HAVE MY PLANE TICKET NOW. 
I'm leaving July 6th at 1:30 p.m. from Chicago, taking a direct flight through Air India. I will be flying over the north pole (which really isn't a big deal but I'm excited) and my flight should take approximately 15 hours. 
I am so excited. Well, probably not as excited as I should be but I'm still excited. 
Here is what's on my mind about India. So many people are asking me "are you excited?" "are you scared" or they make comments like "I could never do something like that!" or "that is soooooo coooooooooooooooooooool"
But the thing is I never have a good reply to any of these comments and queries. Especially when I feel that people are getting the impression that I am a better person than I really am.   And I'm excited and scared... but in the same ways that every other person my age is feeling about college. 
India is going to be fun. It is going to be challenging. It is going to change me. It is going to deepen my faith in God. It is going to be scary and lonely at times as well. 
But India is just my next step. And the great thing is that God is the one preparing those steps for me. He is preparing me. As my youth leader likes to say "God does not call the qualified but qualifies the called." and I believe in that. And I believe and know God- which gives my life the most meaning and highest purpose I could ever have. 

My Choice

I really like a lot of things.

I like: Mumford and Sons

I like: Art and anything really innovative and creative

I like: To sleep... a lot...

I like: To stargaze

But mostly I just like talking to my best friends about Jesus, and I really like talking to my best friend Jesus.

I love: To read my Bible

I love: To just sit and be in the presence of God

I love: To know that because I am a Christian all will be well- no matter what else is going on at the moment.

And sometimes it's just so easy to forget those things that I love. Or I get fooled into thinking I love the things I like more than I love the things I really love.
What really just makes me completely happy and thankful is the fact that I don't naturally love these things, but God is so merciful and gracious He gives me that ability. He is kind enough to let me love Him. And some nights I just stay awake because I am just so completely wrapped in His love and comfort I don't want to fall asleep. I just want to rest. I just want to have that complete peace every moment of every day.
Better yet, I can. But I have to choose it. I have to choose Christ over those things that I merely like, or even maybe neccessary; like sleep.
I have to choose Christ when I'm having a "bad" day.
I have to choose Christ when I'm having a "good" day.
I need to choose Christ every day.
Because He is everything.