What If?

The scene: 

I had just laid the girls down for rest time and I had gotten myself a sweet to munch on and grabbed my Bible & my Hindi book to try to get some studying done in both. 

But I was discouraged. I was having yet another case of the "what if's". "What if we'd just stayed home?" "What if we had never left?" And I was pondering the ever pressing question "What have I gotten myself into and why am I here?" 

So, I typed a quick note to some of my prayer partners: 

{Prayers as you wake up this morning. Struggling momentarily. Surely to be short-lived with adequate prayer and some time in the Word. Thanks a ton!}

I then sat, as I read a few verses from my Bible, almost frozen in this strange feeling that I couldn't figure out. I stared at the door for a good two minutes feeling like someone was going to walk in on me. I kept reminding myself the door was locked so it wasn't like I was going to be taken by surprise but I felt unsettled. As if I was waiting for someone. Little did I know, it was the Spirit inside me who was waiting for someone. 

Sure enough, a knock came on the door. It hardly caught me by surprise since I'd been waiting for it so expectantly. 

When I answered the door, I found a girl not much younger than myself accompanied by a house helper. The girl introduced herself and asked if I did tuitions in my home. Inwardly, I rolled my eyes because I thought I knew what was coming next. "Yes, I teach my own children," I replied, "but I don't teach any others. You have children?" 

"No." She said. Which came as a surprise. Turns out, she is a housewife who has made zero friends since moving here about two years ago and had come looking for a friend.

Our conversation quickly turned to Christ as I tried to explain why people do the things they do and act the way they act. Of course, after mentioning His name, she admitted she had never heard of Him! 

So, I thought "Here goes nothing!" And started into Creation to Christ. I finished with "The Bridge" Gospel presentation and, looking into her eyes, realized that she had tears. I knew immediately that she understood and that God had led her straight to my door. So, I asked her if she wanted to place her trust in this Jesus. Her response? 

"Definitely! Why would I NOT?!?" 

Wow! Chew on that for a minute and let it slap you around. 

We continued chatting and she soon admitted she had come there looking for a friend. I excitedly told her she came looking for a friend in me but found Jesus instead. 

I went back inside awestruck over what had just happened. Thanking God that only minutes after wondering why we are here, He not only showed me but allowed someone to become a child of the King through His answer! 

Praise Him that He uses us in spite of us. And cares enough to answer those silly little cries of "What if!" and "Why?" 

Please pray for my new friend.  And for me as I try to teach her Truth. It's not an easy road. 

First Day of School!

Shwew... Just taking a quick breather after a jam packed day. Today was... The first day of school! Yay!

A little background... I've been anxiously planning for this day all summer. I really felt like, at least for this season in our lives, we really needed some structure. A schedule. Some consistency. But, that's just so not me. So I've been praying over, planning, and preparing all summer. 

Well, then came anniversary, then came fever, then came up all night because of said first day of school along with crazy loud 3AM parade. Not to mention, the morning routine I created for myself was near impossible! 

BUT... I was most determined to keep a positive attitude and ENJOY this time! Which, I think I managed to accomplish! 

The day started for the girls with a new t-shirt they'd been eyeing. :) Fun! Then we got started on Bible. My plan was to skip Bible today to adequately explain the schedule and then it hit me... Where better to go to talk about plans. So, we sat and looked up verses about plans. And, nope, didn't even make it through the first day of Bible class without crying. 

Here I was stressing about the plans of homeschool and recognizing that His plans for me will succeed AND that they are far greater than my own. Good news for a first day of school! 

Then we prayed about what plans we were nervous about. Sweet Kamden whispered to me that she was excited about dance class but afraid. So we prayed. For that sweet little honest girl who loves dance with her whole heart. I just love her. 

The rest of the day was just dandy. Rushed? A little. Did I feel like I was chasing objects around and do I feel utterly exhausted now? Yes. But we all had a great day! 

Some low lights: 

-Handwriting for Kiley took longer than expected. She's learning cursive this year! But, it's challenging! And I want her to stay excited about it. So that was hard. 

-I definitely felt like I was chasing things here and there, but I know it will get more organized as we go. 

Some highlights: 

-Kamden loved her phonics time. She got to make a craft and did great on it. 

-Kiley's math is fun and great for her. She even chose to do the parts we had to skip early on because of handwriting, later in the day. 

-Teaching the little girls Math was fun and rewarding. They learn so fast. I'm excited about what all they'll pick up this year during that time. 

-Kiley is as excited as ever about reading. That's always nice! 

-For the first time in quite a while, the girls got to play outside with friends for recess! 

I'm excited about this year. Nervous still. But excited. 

Heart-Wrenching, Soul-Disturbing

The heart-wrenching, soul-disturbing cultural experience I had tonight traveling home from the train station, if seen and experienced in person, should draw Jesus followers from around the globe to ensure these people get a chance to hear of the saving love of Jesus! 

Tonight, in our city, H's lined the street to celebrate the bringing home of "holy water" from the Ganges river to pour over their statues in order to give those statues strength and power enough to forgive their sins and shower them with blessings. 

Meanwhile, M's gathered in mosques to celebrate Ramadan. We passed the open doors of an M temple and watched in awe as they performed their ritualistic prayers. 

As we drove home on these overly crowded streets, I wanted so badly to SCREAM! And, then my heart went immediately to "We need more people!" These people must hear that there is a better way... The only way! 

"If the church of God fully realized her heritage in the Gospel, she would send ten thousand fresh messengers to the farthest parts of the earth to proclaim Jesus." -John Paton

    -a water carrier proudly walks up to 125 km one way to collect water from the river to take back home to his gods.