india updates / malaysia wrap-ups

hello! i am writing this blog on my phone notes at 9:03 pm from my cozy bed in india. i realized that i haven’t been the best at blogging & keeping you guys updated, so i figured i would write something to fill that void, haha. also, i apologize for the lack of proper grammar and capitalization, lol. 

malaysia; from physical standpoint, Penang is a great place. the scenery is GORGEOUS, the culture is diverse, and you have American comforts (food, wifi, etc.) while still experiencing asian culture. but boy oh boy, my time in malaysia was the hardest i’ve had on the race thus far. right off the bat i got injured, and it sent me into a spiral of insecurity (that i actually didn’t recognize at the time). i didn’t know how to be sick/let myself be served because i was scared of not being able to provide for myself(if you ask my teammates they would agree that i sucked at being sick. i did NOT take my concussion seriously lol). alongside that, i feared being “clumsy girl” and becoming the laughing stock of the squad. there were sooOoOoo many things that i didn’t know how to surrender to the Lord. i was stubborn and held fast onto my pride. 

malaysia taught me that when you ignore the lessons he tries to teach you, he teaches it again and again. the amount of times i was forced to lay down my strength before others and the Lord killed me, lol. i thank the Lord for giving me circumstances that humbled me in ways i didn’t know i needed to be. i pride myself in being vulnerable with my words, but shut down when i’m forced to be vulnerable with my circumstances. through the head traumas & fevers & stitches the Lord reminded me how feeble i am. malaysia, you were a pain in my rear, but i thank you for taking my failure and turning it into sweet dependency on Abba.  thank you for forcing me to lay down my cross in the sweetest ways. i may not look back on you with the most fondness, but i’ll look back knowing that the Lord used to to radically change my heart.

now to india!!! my current home! my time here has been slow but fast all at once. days are calm and filled with rest, but the uncertainty of what my day will look like keeps me on my toes. india is NOTHING like i expected. most of the people in the town i stay in are from either bhutan, nepal, or myanmar. you don’t see your traditional indian clothing most of the time. & yOU GUYS, ITS COLD HERE!!!! i expected india to be anything but this, but i love the surprise the lord has given me. our ministry is spurratic and random. some examples of what we have done thus far: construction for a church, hospital, & school,, visited a drug and rehab center, helped the locals go mud fishing. i wake up never knowing what the day is going to look like and i really love it. there are bakeries and shops and mountains that my squad has already began to love, thankful for this country!

but also, india has been hard. i desperately wanted to be pushed out of my comfort zone, but that hasn’t been the case. the town we stay in is mostly christian. my heart yearns to speak life and truth into the hindu population, my heart wants to be bold and evangelize to those who haven’t heard the name of jesus, but those things aren’t really doable here. so in the midst of my disappointment, i’ve been forced to hold fast to what Abba has to offer in this place. there is a church that NEEDS to be encouraged and people who need to be loved on. this community is still in dire need of the goodness that God brings, but I have to aim it in a different perspective than what i intended. MAN praise God for a christian community in one of the most persecuted countries in the world. 

this is really random and kind of interrupts the flow of the blog, but i really want to share this so bear with me haha!! just for funsies, here is an outline of what my day looks like:

.4:00am, i wake up to roosters crowing and dogs barking. 

4:05am, annoyed, i try to go back to sleep. most times it’s successful.

6:30am, i wake up for tea time at the bungalow a half mile up the road!! there i spend time with the Lord or chat with my squadmates. it’s become my favorite part of the day!!

8:20am, after breakfast is served and i wash my plate, i head back to my room to get ready for the day

9am-12:30pm, ministry!!! you never know what you’re doing until the day of, but it’s always a blast. we get to work with the guys team for ministry, which has been awesome to get to serve with other folks on my squad!

12:30pm, back up to the bungalow for lunch

1:00pm, sometimes back to ministry, other days it’s free time. your schedule depends on what ministry is that day!! 

5:00pm, dinner!!! i usually eat a crap ton of rice and potatoes which is always a JOY. 

6:00pm, team time! sometimes we tell stories, sometimes we worship, sometimes we blog, each day is different and i love it!! it’s so sweet to come together with my team at the end of the day.

7:00pm, i’m either listening to podcasts or playing murder in the dark (a beloved game by my squad) at this point in the evening. it gets dark really early here so at this point my social timer has checked out and i’m sleepyyyyy.

8:00pm, bedtime lol!!! yes i know i’m a granny but when you don’t have wifi or lights on it’s kind of impossible to stay awake. i’m not even mad because it keeps me wide awake for tea time!!

the Lord called me specifically to this route because of india, and i have full belief that despite my current perspective, people will be saved here. we will witness god’s miraculous power in this place!!! i can just feel it. be praying for my squad & I as we step out in boldness in this place.

i love all of u sweet folks. i’m thankful that y’all still read and value what i have to say. wishing all of you a happy happy holidays!! i hope that you think of me when you hear “the first noel,” hehe (;

peace n blessings, nol <3