Mash-up

Well, it has been a busy couple of weeks. My time for teaching is coming to an end, with only one week left. It has been very interesting becoming a teacher for a year. I wonder who learned more, the kids, or me?

My English lesson with Preetam

Helping in the library Lene and I keep finding childhood favorites.

The Magic School Bus

 The favorite thing for the boys to do? Play. A couple of weekends ago we had competition between the boys. It was the study groups against each other. They had a fun time racing with water, dancing on paper, and some other fun games.

 At Devender's birthday we had a fun time during dinner.

Chow Mein, dinner of champions and birthday boys.

 My free weekends are usually spent in Dehra Dun, the capital of my state. It's always interesting going to the cities in India.

Subway... delicious in any country.

 This post is kind of a mash up of a bunch of different things, but I'm leaving in 2 weeks so I'm running out of time!
India, most particularly Shishya has become my home. I know what I'm doing here, and why I'm doing here. More importantly, I love living here, living this life on a small campus with the some pretty special and amazing kids.
I am glad that I'm going home, but it's a very bittersweet feeling. But I could not be MORE blessed.

Biogas Project/The Farm Life

Shishya Campus is a self sustaining farm. I realized I had never mentioned any of this before so I thought I'd share a little more about the farm with you. 

They grow mustard seed and make it into oil, which they use for their cooking, they grow peanuts (sadly, this year's crop was much smaller than usual because the parrots came and ate most of the peanuts). They eat them or sell them in Selakui, the small village nearby.

They grow wheat which provides them with enough wheat to last the year for the rotis (a whole wheat, flatbread) which they eat every morning and evening. This provides the boys with iron and fibre and carbs. 

They also have about 8 cows and counting. They are dairy cows which provides everyone on campus with milk and they also sell it to the village. They make a yogurt out of it every Sunday for the whole campus, and occasionally paneer which is a (delicious) Indian cheese. 

Because of the cows the campus has a surplus of cow poop and pee. They had had a biogas thing beforehand but it wasn't working, so Jason and his wife Renee came as volunteers and Jason has designed a new biogas for them. 

(Dad, in case I forget to tell you, the lid is going to be made out of steel!) 

The boys all work on the farm in mornings and evenings, and except for lunch they make the food for the whole campus. 

They also have quite a few different kinds of vegetables and a mango orchard and guava orchard.

It's a beautiful (and clean and non-polluted!) place that has become home.

No Striving

                I've been realizing this past week that it's a dangerous thing to consider yourself a sinner after you have been saved. Sure, we still sin, but that's not who we are anymore. When we accept Jesus as God and his sacrifice, repent, etc... then we're washed, we're made into new people, we are now children of God... not the dirty sinner we keep trying to kill (even though we've already been given the authority to conquer all that stuff). We are now seen as someone who is pure and whole, like Jesus. 
              Some people were praying for me one day and one lady was praying "Thank you God, that Courtney doesn't need to strive to serve you". As soon as she said that I realized that is exactly what I do. I strive. I don't just accept Jesus and what he's done for me... but I hold onto the sinner part of me- I think that if I don't do this or this and if I do this and that then God will use me. It's kind of a shocker when God shows you your real motivations. 
              For years I have been trying to make decisions based off of the thought that God can't use me where I am and with who I am. I put myself into an anxious state because I don't know what decision would bring me closer to being the kind of person God could use. Should I go to a Bible college or a secular college? Should I go to ANY college? Should I work at this job for the time being or should I work at this job? Should I be friends with this group or with that group? 
You get the picture. I work myself into a tizzy trying to figure out what person God wants me to be... when all along I already am the person he wants me to be. 
Who God has made me is a good thing. I shouldn't try to change myself, any change that should happen will happen along my walk with God. The sin is wiped away and I'm a new person, I am able to be the person I was created to be. My motivation to "serve" God shouldn't come from trying to force myself into a box of a person that God had no intention of putting me in. He made me in such a specific and unique way, for specific and unique purposes. If I change that about myself than God won't be able to utilize me in his plans. 
I don't have to work to serve God. I don't have to strive to be who God wants me to be. 
I can just be me, and trust in God and have faith in him... because if I do those things then he will lead me, transformation will naturally come into my heart and out of my life.
Besides, the end of my walk with God won't end with service. It will end with God. 
It ends with love, everything else works out on its own. 

There is no striving,

No running against the wind,

In the kingdom of God

My God says to me,

"My child, don't you see?

Don't you know?

I have chosen you,

To be my vessel of peace.

I have chosen to love you,

Death cannot part us"

"Why do you strive to be my servant?

Why do you fight where there is no battle?

There is no striving in the kingdom of God,

There is no fight,

I have paid,

I have bought you with my precious blood…

I love you.

I have created you,

I will use you,

Wherever I take you.

I am with you,

Forever

Death cannot part us."'

"In my gentleness I wooed you,

I outheld my right hand to you,

Giving you my strength,

It is not you who chose I,

But I who chose you,

And I will lead you in my faithfulness,

Taking you on paths of severe mercy,

Opening your eyes to my work,

That you may take part in it.

In all these things,

Even death cannot part us"

"I have brought you,

To my very near presence,

I have held you,

Kept count of every tear,

Forgotten every failure,

Forgiven every sin.

Because you received my right hand,

I see only my Son in you.

I see a house painted in His blood,

I see a person made holy,

Sanctified,

Pure,

Precious,

Fearlessly following my Name,

Now, even death will not part us."

"There is no striving in my kingdom,

Only faith and trust"

Biogas Project

Of traveling and Easter

Well, it has been an fun-filled 2 1/2 weeks. I'll try and give you a (brief) overview of my trip through Agra, Delhi and the desert state of Rajasthan. 

I traveled with 4 other volunteers- a married couple from Canada, Jason and Renee, a guy from Indiana, Ryan, and my roommate Lene from Germany. So it was a very interesting and multi-cultural trip.
First we went to the Taj Mahal in Agra (the only thing to really do in Agra) 

Lene and I at the Taj

It really is a magnificent building. I can see why it's one of the
7 wonders of the world.

Then we went to Delhi- I like Delhi because there are quite a few free things you can do. These are from the Ghandi museum (I should say one of the Ghandi museum. There must be at least one museum in every city he ever went to).

The last steps of Ghandi before he was killed.

I'm always a little surprised at the places you find Jesus.
This was a painting about "two of the greatest martyrs"

Then we went to Rajasthan. In Bikaner we went on a camel safari- which included one day  riding camels and sleeping in the desert. 

I got a camel kiss-the joy...

Then we went to Jodhpur, the famous city of blue, has an amazing fort. Even Christian Bale has been in it because they filmed a scene from the newest Batman movie here. 

The last city was Jaipur- the capital of Rajasthan... it's supposed to be the "pink city" but I didn't really see that. We were there on a huge festival Holi... It's kind of hard to figure out the meaning behind these festivals- I don't really know if any of the locals even know why they celebrate certain festivals. But basically you buy these colors and throw them at each other- I've heard its a party to celebrate the beginning of summer- and I guess that makes sense when you're throwing colors at one another.

The Holi colors

Elephant decorated for Holi

Elephants have always been one of my favorite animals-
They're just so amazing-hairy- but amazing.

A man was bicycling around with a bunch of chicks on the back of his cycle.
I couldn't believe I was seeing real Easter chicks. It was like a live peep. 

fat monkey

after Holi

And that was my trip. It was fun, but getting back to Shishya felt so great, it's amazing how it feels like coming home. We got back at 5am the day before Easter and Easter here was just- incredible. It was such a nice day. 

On Easter they loaded everyone up onto a bus and 2 vehicles and we went off campus to a riverbed and ate delicious food and sang worship songs and went swimming- it was a lot of fun and really special for the boys. 

Karo and Shiva were bus buddies.

They were more excited than they looked-- Mam, look! Water!!! 

the worship time

Auntie, Vijay, Ryan and Jason.

On the bus to the river! 

Well folks, I think that's it.  I hope you enjoyed the pictures and I wish you all a very Happy Easter!!! (even if it's a couple days late :)

Oh, and I just want to say that God is so amazing...  I was reflecting this last week about India and thinking of the present and how he's working everything out for the future and I just want to say that God is sooo good. I said that coming back to Shishya was like coming home and it's true. Traveling is nice, necessary to be able to learn about the country I'm living in and see the different places and different gifts and needs of the people... but being here in India, and being with the boys has been above and beyond what I thought it would be like. I've learned so much about people, about children, about myself and mainly about God and his relationship with us. He loves me so much and he's given me more than I ever thought I wanted and more than I deserve. I'm really enjoying these verses right now. 

Psalm 32:8; 37:4

I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go;
I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Delight yourself in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Vijay's Birthday

This has been a really fun week. At first I was feeling really ugh about things but thankfully God renewed my spirit in a lot of things.

But how can I not be happy when I get to see these faces every day?!?! 

I'm so happy to be here. 

This is Vijay's birthday. Whenever they wear this crown
they always call them Prince Caspian. They really like
the Narnia movies. The little boy is his brother Shivam.

At dinner. Dinner can be REALLY funny sometimes

They all got chopsticks from China on Christmas (Frieda's
daughter and son in law are missionaries in China). So whenever
we eat chow mein they get the chopsticks out.

The girl is Beulah, she is the house-parents daughter (Ruth ,
the mom is in the background) The boys really love her and
I think they have a really good brother-sister relationship with her.

I am with you heart & soul

           I was recently talking to my good friend Ashly about what it means to really follow Jesus and live out our lives for him. She recently started a blog you can look at here that talks about the same thing. I just want to say that I'm so incredibly thankful for her. She's one of those people who I can always count on to be honest and we can talk so naturally and freely about our relationship and walk with God. Her encouragement and prayers have really pushed me ahead with my walk so THANKS ASHLY! 
            But about living for Christ... I was watching this video by Francis Chan and I was just extremely challenged by the passage 1 Samuel 14:1-23- basically what is happening in this passage is that the Philistines and the Israelites are in a fight, but Jonathan and his armor bearer go first by themselves to fight... and it was only after they had gone and were gaining victory that Saul and the rest of the armor joined in. 

Jonathan said to the young man who carried his armor, "Come, let us go over to the garrison of these uncircumcised. It may be that the LORD will work for us , for nothing can hinder the LORD from saving the many or by few." So his armor bearer said to him, "Do all this is in your heart. Behold, I am with you heart and soul."

I just can't get this picture out of my head. Two men going into battle by themselves against an entire army in pure faith that the Lord would win the battle for them... and only after they were winning (with the Lord's help of course) the rest of the Israelites joined them.
And now in my life, I don't want to be the last one coming into the battle, I want to be the person who runs in first believing with my heart and soul that God will win the battle.

               I was in Rishikesh for the day yesterday to pick up my roommate's jacket she left at the hotel last time we were there. On the bus ride home I was thinking about the plans for the next couple years I think God is leading me in (I'll write another blog about that sometime) and I was just thinking "God what can I even do for the the people in the world? I only have your message to give". He just told me "My message is enough to send you anywhere in the world, because I am enough for the world. I am enough for you" 

and I think the message the God is trying to get across my heart is that he IS enough, more than enough. Doing anything, whether its being a homemaker or a missionary or a farmer or whatever, it is only worth doing if it's for him,out of love for him and for the people he died for. And I don't just want to do his calling begrudgingly or for the sake of doing something nice.I want to run after him- being willing to stand alone if that is the cost, or live in a different country for the rest of my life, or working a minimum wage job and giving my entire salary to the church or to the poor. I want my life to wholly reflect to the world his goodness and faithfulness and sacrifice. 

Matthew 10:25,37-39- It is enough for the disciple to be like his teacher, and the servant like his master. Whoever loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of me, and whoever loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. Ad whoever does not take his cross and follow me is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it, an whoever loses his life for my sake will find it.