Me and my giant tongue

This morning I woke up to the lovely sounds of our dog barking, whiney, high-pitched Hindi music blasting on my neighbors' radio and the general cacophony of sounds that resonates all across the city. One of my housemates had sent our chokidar (I guess you could equate that with a butler in America....but it's not so snobbish-sounding as that. He's our doorman and helps keep our house in order and tends our garden, etc) to get some bread for us.

So, our chokidar came back with hot, fresh naan (bread) for breakfast. A lot of times it's circular but this time he had gotten this long, flat bread. It's kind of oval shaped and narrows on the ends. I was feeling a bit cheeky so stuck one end in my mouth like it was a giant tongue while we were all sitting down to eat breakfast. Then I yelled out "eat, eat" in the local language which I guess when I have a giant piece of naan in my mouth sounds a lot like the word "uncle" in Dari, which is the term of respect for men like the chokidar.

So, the chokidar comes running back into the room and here I am with a giant, slobbery piece of bread hanging out of my mouth. He gave us a look of confusion and quietly slipped out of the room. Oh mercy. What do these people think of me? And will I ever learn to grow up and not make a fool of myself?

Last week I walked to my tailor to bring some new material to him so I'd have some new clothes for teaching this spring. It was a beautiful day with the sun shining down and a gentle breeze blowing. It was one of those days where I was really wishing I had the freedom to put on a pair of shorts and running shoes and pound my feet into the pavement (which, by the way, we have very little of here) or to jump in my car and drive up into the mountains and go bouldering for the afternoon. But, I don't have those freedoms here. And I was feeling a bit frustrated by that and getting really annoyed at people staring at me. Some days it's so easy to ignore and I barely notice all the eyes baring down on me. But, as I was mulling over my limited physical freedom a taxi drove by my teammate and I walking down the street. He slowed down to see if we needed a ride and when we didn't accept his offer, he kept staring.....and driving. I walked behind the car and crossed the street to try to avoid his eyes which kept following us. And he kept driving and driving, straight into a drainage ditch on the side of the street!!! Then all the shop keepers and others on the street started laughing and laughing. "He was watching the women!" They said. I know that some people wouldn't find this very Christian of me, but that totally made my day. I could almost picture God flicking that car into the ditch and saying "Hey, quit staring at my daughter!!"

I'm realizing that my upcoming year and a half in America is going to be a bittersweet homecoming. Some days, it is so, so, so hard to be here. I have never done anything or been anywhere that is so difficult day in and day out as this place. I have never felt like giving up like I have over this last year. And at the same time, I have never been so inspired to put my whole self into something. I have never felt the love of God like I have this last year and a half. I have never been a part of something so much bigger than myself that I absolutely believe in. And having to leave what God is doing in this place is breaking my heart. And at the same time, I so need some time away to process, to heal, to drink deep of God's refreshing. I've been thinking about what's ahead here and I've gotten piles and piles of advice from people mostly wanting me to return to America and commit myself to something or another there. I have to admit, the idea of returning to America and putting my efforts into something else has been a thought that has passed through my mind....but usually only because it's easier, more convenient, requires less faith and less tears than this place does. If God spoke to me to return home permanently (he HAS spoken for me to return for schooling) the I'd do it in a heartbeat because it's not about what is important for us or what is best for us, it's about obedience and following the leading of the Holy Spirit. A teacher in my organization once said, "I want to lean so heavily on God that if He moves, I fall over." That is the prayer for my life...not that I just am in the place that makes me most happy but that I am absolutely in will of God.

Easter was like any other day here. There were no chocolate bunnies or annoying plastic green "grass" spread throughout the house after the basket was looted for the good stuff or brighly colored eggs or even a well-planned church service or program. But, in some ways, I like that all that "fluff" is removed and I can see my creator face-to-face. My mom was writing on her blog about a discussion she and my youngest brother had had about Jesus' death and resurrection. They talked about how important Jesus' LIFE was. Obviously, we know his death has so much important and significance, but I think my family hit on a key point. Jesus also LIVED for us. He loved no matter what the cost was. He gave not only his life in death but he gave his life while he lived. If only we would show this kind of love more often for others around us. May you experience that life and love of Christ today!

floods

We've been having pretty heavy rains here. It just seemed like it was turning the roads into rivers and making walking EXTREMELY difficult. The mud sucks your feet and moves you around at it's own will, not your own. However, if you have not seen on the news recently, the rains all around the country have brought massive flooding. Many homes have been destroyed around the capital and other places and people have died. Also, the floods have taken out major bridges on the road between my city and the capital meaning we can only travel their by plane. Please pray for those traveling that they would be safe and that the bridges would quickly be repaired.