New Traditions?

 One of the fun things about being in South Asia is getting to experience all the new holidays that we don't celebrate in America, like Diwali. Another is getting to learn to celebrate our traditional American holidays in a whole new way!

 Last night we created a "Fall Friday". I say created because there is still no sign of fall here. Yes, Praise the Lord, our weather is beginning to cool (upper 80's this week), but still no leaves changing or costumes being sold, or fun pack candy being bought. But there is something so fun about getting together with friends and creating the mood of Fall.

Two rickshaw rides and a metro ride later, we made it to our friends house. We decided to go to the Friday night market and gather our supplies. We weren't really sure if we were going to find a pumpkin, but not only did we find a pumpkin we found other unsuspecting veggies to carve. (bonus to living here)

 We made it back to the house to realize that of the three pumpkins we bought only one of them had made it home with us. Oops! No worries, when the boys started retracing their steps they found our little man had them waiting for us asking if we were ready for them yet. Yea for the lost pumpkins being found!

 We had two new friends with us who were carving pumpkins for the first time. We caught ourselves laughing all through the night at their comments. Example: We asked our new friend, "What do you call this? (pointing to the pumpkin) She responded with slowly sounding out "P U M P K I N". really? I feel so much better now that we know that.  hehe.  She also ended up giving all our pumpkins names. My favorite was the one we tried to name "Fraidy Cat", because he looked scared/afraid. All night she referred to him as "Frito". We had to explain to her that a frito is an American corn chip not a pumpkin!

(Left to right: Fraidy Cat/Frito, Jack, Hairy, Mickey Mouse, Julia Roberts, Larry the Cucumber, and Jim Carrey)
 We ended the night with homemade (from a box, thank you Lydia!) candy apples. This was a new experience for us all. We learned a lot to perfect the process for next year.

 That's right.... We had such at our Fall Friday that we have already begun the planning for next year. Our national friends also enjoyed their first experience with Halloween. Her facebook status this morning made me laugh so hard. It reads..."My first Halloween was great, I didn't know that I am such a great killer. Chopping the head of a brinjal is such a pleasure. I know why American's love to carve and chop the vegetables now! It's a serious business! And today we plan to eat the mickey mouse..."

I'm also foreseeing Christmas gingerbread houses!

 Happy Fall! Happy Halloween!

Dazzling Diwali

I had a great opportunity this weekend to go visit a friend in her hometown. We went to celebrate Diwali, the Festival of Lights. It was so much fun to visit another part of this beautiful country. I really had a great time with Sun's family. It felt good to have a mommy hug!

From the roof of Sun's house, you couldn't decide if it was the 4th of July or Christmas! "Crackers" and Christmas lights everywhere...

One of the families traditions for the holiday was to decorate the entrance of the house with rangoli.

We were able to observe as her family conducted a traditional puja.

In traditional attire. (I'm not really sure what the guns were all about, but we ended the night by shooting them from the roof.)

Please lift up this sweet family to our Father. Specifically that, like Sun's decision a couple months back, this family will experience the Light!

"The Word gave life to everything that was created, and his life brought light to everyone. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness can never extinguish it." John 1:4,5

Thankful

Not one leaf here is changing colors.

We haven't felt that cool autumn breeze.

No starbucks is serving pumpkin spice latte.

(In fact, there's no starbucks at all!)

So what do we do to make it feel more like Fall?

We make crafts at AWANA.

Joe found this cute little pumpkin design on the internet.

The boys had a great time making them, and we used the time to talk about how thankful we are for the Father.

"Singing a song of thanksgiving and telling of all your wonders." Ps. 26:7

Six Months In

We've been here long enough that I'm not really sure when we actually got here. It was sometime at the beginning of April...which makes this first part of October our six month mark. I've been doing a lot of reflecting, which led to the Six Forgottens, and the Six Unforgettables.

 Six Forgottens:
1. Which side of the road is the correct one to drive on/Which side of the sidewalk you are supposed to pass people on (For that matter, what was it like to drive again?)
2. What it's like to walk down a street and not see anyone and everyone relieving themselves, cow mess everywhere, and trash as far as the eye can see.
3. What Daddy's steaks/pork chops on the grill taste like.
4. What it's like to go for a run in shorts and a tank top.
5. What it was like to brush your teeth with tap water.
6. What it was like to go a whole day without sweating.

 Six Unforgettables:
1. The feeling of getting on an airplane in Little Rock, holding my one way ticket in my hand. The Father was so gracious to provide peace and comfort while my heart was anxious and afraid.
2. Getting to daily wake up and work along side my husband. Just when I think I couldn't love him anymore than I already do...something will surprise me. The Father is using this time for us to learn dependence on each other as we seek His direction.
3. Quiet, peaceful, relaxing mornings seeking the Father. The Word has never been so alive to me before now. And oh, how wonderful it is to not be bound by the clock.
4. Sitting on the "holiest" of rivers, watching thousands give devotion to water, while we are singing praise to the true Father in a different language.
5. Watching how our Father is showing up big ways in our new friends lives.  People are turn to the truth daily!
6. Getting to experience the birth of our second nephew, Carson Jack, via skype. Felt like we were in the waiting room with all the rest of the family. Thank you Father for technology, sweet nurses that break all the rule for sister living over seas, friends that have internet cards, and patient family members that gave play-by-plays.

What a journey we are on... Thanking the Father for the last six months, waiting in anticipation as the next six months unfold

Greater Things Have Yet To Come

 How long, Oh Lord, will you let your praise be given to another?

 I've only been on a couple of trips outside of our city. The first trip we took was to a holy city (our second week in country). My emotion that day can only be described as fearful. From the moment I walked of the train and had my water bottle stolen from me, I was fearful. When the man dressed in all orange, covered in paint tried to put a snake around me...there was fear. Would I have to use a squatty potty? Was the food safe to eat? Fear, fear, fear..

 So going into this trip, reflecting back to our past trip, I just began to claim that I have not been given a spirit of fear, but of power, love, and a sound mind. How great is our Father's faithfulness! I realize how much the Father is doing in my own life on this little journey.

This trip was full of love. Love for the lost. Love for the brothers we were able to visit. Love for the Father. My true Father.

 I was also filled with hope. Hope for the future. Hope that one day, instead of worshipping the created, that a crowd too great to count from this nation, tribe, people, and language will shout with a mighty shout to the Creator!

 There is no one like our God! Greater things will be done in this city!

Weekend, week late

We just got back a few hours ago from an amazing trip to one of the holiest cities in India. I really haven't had time to process or reflect on the trip yet. I'm going to need some time before I make a post about it.
 So, I decided to blog last weekend.
 C and B are coming over weekly for AWANA's. It's been an incredible time to love on these boys, laugh with these boys, and look at truth from the Word together. They earned a pizza party sleepover, which was last weekend.

 Within the first hour, B fell face first into the coffee table. I felt terrible. I knew it had to hurt. While I'm trying to make sure he's okay, I asked Joe to get us some ice. We didn't have any ice, but Joe Joe potato came to the rescue with some frozen coffee beans. (He's going to make a great Daddy someday!)
 The rest of the evening was fairly uneventful. Just enjoyed some banana banana bread, I made from scratch. And some Wii!

 I've been learning a lot about myself this last year. One thing I've learned is that I love to see an end result, as most people do. I came from a job where every day, multiple times a day, I started a project and completed it. I always saw it to completion. (I'm sure my clients with foils in their hair appreciate that fact.) Unlike our work here. The work is never done. And some days it gets discouraging. So, I think this explains why I'm enjoying cooking so much. I get to create it, prepare it, eat it, and clean it up. Completion! woohoo. Feels so good.

 Here is one of the latest...I took a couple different recipes, and what was in the fridge to make Mexican Chicken Hummus pizza. This one got added to the list of our favorites!