Oh Goodness...

God has definitely been doing a work inside of me, that's for sure. Before coming here, my prayer was that God would reveal to me what I need to change about myself. Well, He has showed me and now the hard part is accepting it and trying to become more like Him.

God has shown me that I'm selfish, prideful, envious, angry, unforgiving, and definitely sinful. Those aren't exactly the Fruit of the Spirit... I have a lot of work to do and I'm asking God for the courage and strength to face the things that I've been putting off. As Janna said, this is a good thing that I'm realizing all of this because that means that my relationship with God is growing and He is answering my prayer. She's right, and I'm happy that God is showing me these things... At the same time though, it's hard to face sin head on and admit that I'm not as godly as I thought.

Lord, help me to be more like you, and continue to have patience with me as I work through this mess. I love you and am trying to change. God create in me a pure heart...

On a lighter note, Thanksgiving was good. We traveled to a city called Jaipur which is three and a half hours away from Delhi. We stayed for there for three days and celebrated Thanksgiving with about six other families in one house. No one was related, but everyone got together as one big family. These were families living in India and who are unable to go back to the states for the holidays. Janna and I stayed with a couple who are newly married and already living overseas serving. We arrived to their house the evening before Thanksgiving, and this was the first time meeting them and they were more than welcoming. We helped peel apples for an apple pie and helped smash potatoes. This was my first Thanksgiving away from home and it was hard, but God put so many loving people in my life to make me feel at home. It was a great Thanksgiving, even if we had chicken instead of turkey because to buy a turkey here is around 200 U.S dollars.

I can't express how thankful I am for God bringing so many wonderful people in my life, in both India and Nepal. I can't imagine going back home and not seeing these people again. I know that I will definitely be back to visit. God, thank you for all of these people who are becoming like family. And thank you for continuing to do a work in me... As hard as it is, I thank you for loving me enough to reveal things in my life that need to be changed so that my relationship with you may blossom. Amen.

Smile :)

We have a lady who comes and cleans our house three times a week. Her name is Nita and she is the sweetest lady ever. Her husband Mylar takes care of the garden and he is a very nice man. They live in a "house" constructed of metal sheets, so it's not a house at all, but it's what they've been living for the past 5 moths. They had a house, but the landlord told them it needed to be torn down for construction that was going to be taking place and that it would only be for a month. Mylar and Nita have two children, a niece and Mylar's 70 year old mother living with them in their small living space. We had them over for some chi a couple of nights ago and that was quite an experience. I happened to get the seat next to the grandmother and she was talking to me in Nepali the whole night. She even sang me a song! All I could do was sit and smile and act like I knew exactly what she was talking about. It was a night I'll never forget.

Earlier that day, Janna, Siam, our friend Esther, and I all went to the grocery store to buy the family some groceries; they had to use their last pay check for Mylar's mother's medical bills. When we got home, we packed all the food in to two boxes and awaited their arrival. Right before they left, we told them we had a surprise for them and gave them the boxes filled with food. Mylar and Nita took it with such thankfulness and had two of the biggest smiles that I have ever seen. Mylar had tears in his eyes as he was saying thank you, and I was trying to hold back the tears that were coming to my eyes. Nita gave me a hug and said thank you over and over again. I could feel her love and appreciation. The love that was being shared didn't need words.

When I first got here, I was consumed with learning Nepali. I still want to learn, but I'm now focused on how I can show God's love to someone without speaking, fore actions speak louder than words. I'm no longer discouraged about not being fluent in Nepali, but encouraged in how I can show the love of God without using words. If anything, that is more of a challenge than learning another language, but I'm up for the challenge and excited to see how God will continue to use me.

The Zoo :)

So, we didn't go to visit the school after all. Somethinf came up and it was bad timing. We are planning it for next week. However, I did get to go to the zoo!

Siam and two of her friends took me to the zoo, and it was quite an experience. Right when we got there, a bird pooped on me. Yes, I got pooped on. And it wasn't like we were getting ready to leave; we just go there. Anyways, besides my warm welcome, we had a grand ol' time. We spent most of the day there taking pictures and walking around. We are planning to take another trip in about a week so that we can take some of the girls from the center. I was showing Sunita the pictures from the zoo and she expressed to Siam and I how much she wanted to go because she has never been to the zoo. In fact, she didn't even know that there was a zoo in Kathmandu! I'm looking forward to going with all the girls, hopefully we will all be able to ride an elephant!

I also learned how to make Buff MoMo and Veg MoMo. It took a while to get the technique down, but Janna and I are pretty much MoMo masters now. It's so funny to see the word MoMo all around town. I feel like I'm famous! haha. Now for more importat things...

The center is going well...It's been a little slow lately, but we are happy to go even if one girl comes in. Sunita has been the only consistent one so far, and we look forward to her coming in everyday. Sometimes we play ball, color, write, talk, and even exercise. Everyday is an open book and it's quite fun that way.

I finally bought a Nepali book so that I can learn the language, so pray that it will help. I have never wanted to learn a language as much as I want to learn Nepali. Not even Spanish. Although I do know a few key words in Spanish such as: taco, burrito, enchilada, and hola. If you know at least those, your pretty much set.

Back on topic... I'm going to miss these girls sooooooo much! I never thought that I would bond so closely with people who don't even speak the same language as me! The days are going by faster and faster and before I know it, it's going to be time to go home. I miss everyone from home, don't get me wrong. I just have no idea when will be the next time I will be able to see any of the wonderful people that I've met in India and Nepal. I'm beyond thankful to be here and cherishing every moment.