Namaste

My three weeks in India have quickly come to a close. It is hard to fully grasp reality. After saying my goodbyes to the India Juniors Abroad Team, I cannot help but feel like I am living in a twilight zone. It was sad to part from the group after spending every waking moment with them for three weeks. Our shared time has been filled with an over-abundance of love and support. Christ's grace, attitude, and much needed endurance was always present. I hope and pray that my dear friends make it home safe!

Goodbye India.....
Here we come Nepal!!!

I cannot find the words to express my excitement and anxious curiosity. All I am able to focus on is my desire to meet the people at Mendies Haven.....and get there safely of course! My prayer is that the Holy Spirit is more present than ever during my travels to the Haven. My energy level is fairly low as of right now. Strength and energy is needed for a smooth and enjoyable journey, but I have full confidence in Christ's provisions.

Many Blessings & Prayers to all!

Family

At 6:30 this morning our group headed out to volunteer at two homes funded by Mother Teresa. Prem Dan is a home for the elderly struggling with severe illnesses that require special 24 hour care. From what I heard by those who chose to volunteer there today, they were served at a much deeper capacity by the people they intended to care for than the other way around. To be loved by the unexpected is a very humbling experience.  

 I chose to volunteer at Daya Dan, a home for children with physical and mental disabilities at various capacities. We began our duties doing laundry or playing with the kids. Some of us, like myself were sent to the bottom floor where we quickly became drenched while stomping our hands and feet in the tubs full of soapy water and clothes. Others were sent up to the roof to hang the clothes up for drying. The Messies (excuse my spelling) are women who have worked at the homes for years. A large majority of them are tough and very task oriented. They knew what needed to be done and fulfilled those needs in the most productive manner possible; which for our group meant a lot of catching up to do, in a very limited amount of time. I guess you could say that it was a good thing we were all ready and willing to learn.  Whenever the Sisters or Messies of the home directed us to take care of a need, they acknowledged all of us as Auntie or Uncle. With limited words and often no instruction, we did the best we could to meet the demands that surrounded us. 

Amidst all of the confusion, the joy and love played out through the children pored a generous amount of energy and encouragement. And even though the Sisters and Messies acted tough, their hearts were overflowing with love, compassion, and complete humility. I assure you, Dayan Dan is filled with more love and joy than any other home similar to their resources than I have ever experienced. Each living soul in this community looks out for the other. Including the children. They are all a family; brothers, sisters, aunts, and uncles. The Lord's desire for a healthy community exists in the lives of all who live, work, and volunteer at the home. Satan has no chance of defeating our God in this part of Kalkuta! 

I walked away from today's experience with a stronger appreciation for what the Sisters do on a daily basis. Most of these woman can say that they had a personal relationship with the woman that has transformed all of our worldly perspectives over the past generation. Mother Teresa, you lived out Christ's love beyond well. Thanks to your dedication and discernment, these woman have had their hearts and attitudes are sweetly enriched by your example of sacrificial living; and for that, these children have a place to call home and people to call family. 

Our group is disappointed that our schedule only allowed one day to volunteer, but we are grateful for the many blessings that came with the limited time. I think I can speak for everyone in our group when I say that our perspectives on family, love and unconditional giving all fall into the same category. Christ is our portion and our cup. 

Apart from Him we are nothing. 

The Taj Mahal

Today we visited the Taj Mahal, the world's number one "Wonders of the World". The building and surrounding gates take your breath away. The hand carved marble is elaborately decorated with stones and jewels. But apart from it's physical beauty, the whole purpose for this wonder is deeply sentimental. Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan, had developed a love for his wife that was far beyond his love for any other person or thing in this world. When Mumtaz Mahal passed away after giving birth to their fourteenth child, Jahan made the development of the Taj Mahal his number one purpose. His wife was the most precious woman in the world, and he wanted to everyone to know it. 

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Shah Jahan's love for his wife is one of the most dramatic examples of Christ's love for us. I would hope that I can develop a full understanding of Christ's devotion to our hearts and pure beauty after experiencing the wonders of the Taj Mahal. 

New Delhi

It is odd to think that it is already Thursday night. Week one, out of three in India, is now near the end! The humor is that today was technically our second day touring India! It takes a generous amount of time to travel to this part of the world! 

Sweetie... our tour guide in New Delhi, lives above and beyond the description of her name. It was hard to say our goodbyes tonight. Her heart is filled with an abundance of JOY & servitude. Her response to our "thank you's" was, "Bless you". Sweetie dedicated these last forty-eight hours to exposing our group to the many colors of Delhi and India. I will always hold dear her radiant smile and JOY filled eyes. Sweetie, thank you for sharing your home, culture, values, and love. I hope that I can one day be as transparent as you. Your confident vulnerability is humbling and inspiring to my heart!

......Now off to Agra!

Beginning the Long Awaited Adventure!

Today I am leaving for an ADVENTURE that will significantly influence my awareness of not only myself, but of the world. I have been given the blessing of traveling abroad to INDIA for the month of May with a few of my peers form George Fox University; and then extending my adventure to NEPAL for the month of June working at the orphanage, Mendies Haven. I have made it a priority to live out of one bag for the two months that I am traveling. I look forward to the opportunity of SIMPLE LIVING and the absence of technology! 

Prayer Requests:

Health: avoid the flu, typhoid, etc.
Safety: especially in my transition between India & Nepal. I will be traveling alone to Nepal 
Discernment : stay tuned to God's wisdom and guidance. Seek God's eyes, ears, and mind with every move and decision made.
Peace: amidst life's distractions and many burdens spilled out at home and along the adventure = do not loose sight of the bigger picture and purpose for our lives!
Spiritual Armor : strength against the spiritual warfare, rely on God's STRENGTH, ENDURANCE & JOY
Soft Heart: that I will be like clay, molded into a stronger daughter of our Abba. 

  

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Psalm 67
May God be gracious to us and bless us
    and make His face shine upon us,          

 Selah
that you ways may be known on earth,
     your salvation among all nations.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
    may all the peoples praise you.
May the nations be glad and sing for
     joy,
for you rule the peoples justly
    and guide the nations of the earth.

     Selah

May the peoples praise you, O God;
    may all the peoples praise you.
Then the land will yield its harvest.
    and God, our God will bless us.
God will bless us,
    and all the eds of the earth will fear
        Him. 

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Interested in More Info?

Follow GFU Jrs. Abroad Blog: 

http://indiaabroad2012.blogspot.com/

Mendies Haven Website:

http://www.mendieshaven.org/haven/Welcome.html 

 Keep following for more updates! 

Many Blessings.

Re-Creating

The two posts below titled, "Christpower" & "Solidarity", are from an old blog. Christpower was written in June 2011. Solidarity was written in December 2011. These two pieces are significant to my personal growth in the last year. I could not part from their sentimental value. While creating a new blog, I thought a deeper context of my history would be beneficial to the much needed evidence of well-deserved growth. It is rewarding to see how far we have all come after living out life's ups and downs. 

Solidarity

Sol·i·dar·i·ty: noun, plural -ties.  1. union or fellowship arising from common responsibilities and interests, as between members of a group or between classes, peoples, etc.

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"Real solidarity begins when it is no longer a matter of we and they." We see the poor as what we often call needy; that we must go out and rescue them because they are helpless. There may even be some idea of getting them to cooperate with us. There may be some idea of teaching them to help themselves. There is a tendency to treat the poor as poor helpless creatures. 

Real solidarity comes when we realized that "the poor know better than we do what to do and how to do it;" that they are perfectly capable of solving structural problems or political problems. In fact, they are more capable of doing it than you and I are.

Real solidarity comes when we recognize that both the rich and the poor have faults. 

Real solidarity happens when it is recognized that we need each other. We rich need to be saved from our materialism and greed as much as they need to be saved from their poverty and oppression. 

Real solidarity takes considerable humility in order to listen and learn. 

Real solidarity happens when there is no longer we and they, only us.

                                              

                                              - Fr. Albert Nolan

 

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I am challenging myself this holiday season to actively pursuit solidarity within my George Fox and Santa Barbara communities; and anywhere else that is considered home. 

Like Nolan said, "Real solidarity takes considerable humility in order to listen and learn."

  

Listening...

 "Listening is the oldest and perhaps the most powerful tool of healing. It is often through the quality of our listening and not the wisdom of our words that we are able to affect the most profound changes in the people around us. When we listen we offer sanctuary for the homeless parts within the other person. That which has been denied, unloved, devalued by themselves and others. That which is hidden. When you listen generously to people, they can hear the truth in themselves often for the first time."

                                        - Dr. Rachel Naomi Remen

A HOUSE is a material object. The HOUSE becomes a HOME when it is filled with loving memories = solidarity. 

John 14:2 

"In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you."

We are all made in the image of God. Just as Christ builds rooms in His heart for His people, we have the gift of building a home in our hearts with many rooms that hold cherished memories, relationships, flavors, smells, sounds, and images. 

The poor may be HOUSEless, but the rich may be HOMEless. 

(could be visa versa) 

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Who might be suffering HOMELESS parts within themselves in your community? 

Are there HOMELESS parts within yourself that are not being met? 

What can "us" (not we or they) do to fill in those empty rooms in all of our hearts? 

"Jesus came not only to comfort the afflicted but to afflict the comfortable."

                                              - Dorothy Day

          MERRY CHRISTMAS MY FRIENDS!!!  

Christpower

Within these last couple of months I am grateful to have learned that my value is not based off of my success or failure; rather, my value is defined by the amazing act of Christ. Because of His never ending love, and abounding grace, my brokenness will never put me to shame, only to be accepted. One day I will leave my broken body and return home dancing and singing through JUBILATION within my healed spirit. 

For now, I desire to live my life here on this broken earth with as much love, acceptance and forgiveness as I can possibly give. Life is to be celebrated. Despite the reality of pain, I hope that I can only grow from the scars. I want to learn how to love myself and those who surround me for the glory and celebration of Christ's sacrifice.

Lord! Thank you for giving me the freedom to stand before you broken, and through your love, directing me in a life that will heal me and mold me into your more whole and perfect creation.

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Look at him!
Look not at his divinity,
      But look, rather at his freedom.
Look not at the exaggerated tales of his power,
       But look, rather, at his infinite capacity to give himself away. Look not at the first-century mythology that surrounds him,
       But look, rather, at his courage to be,
          His ability to love, and
       the contagious quality of his love.
Stop your frantic search!
Be still and know that this is God:
        This love,
           This freedom,
              This life,
                 This being;
       And
When you are accepted, and accept yourself;
      When you are forgiven, forgive yourself;
             When you are loved, love yourself.
                   Grasp that Christpower
                        And dare to be
                             Yourself!