I was born to kiss your feet

Oh my goodness gracious, 1st quarter is donzo! I have three days left until my much needed 2 week break. I think I might die if it was 9 months continuous of inductive study. Although, word on the street is after 3 months of book after book after book with no rest, once you have rest you do not even know what to do with yourself and you get pretty bored pretty quick.

I feel like sleeping all day every day, so I know it is time for a break.

I am done with Paul's letters. I am actually sad to see him go for my SBS life at least. I got so used to writing his name in my interpretations, I don't know what I'll do when it's never going to be him as author again! We had a good run, Paul and I. He will be missed, and I cannot wait to meet him in heaven! That's going to be so great. Can you imagine writing letters to friends and churches and thousands of years later people are still reading them and God is speaking through them? I mean I always think of me writing a letter to my soul-mate and then, people reading them even one hundred years later won't understand, besides I do not write letters like Paul. I tried once.

I am really going to miss these SBS girls while I am gone. I am so glad they'll all be here when I get back. I will be freezing it up in Nepal and they'll all be in Delhi pretty much. I want to go to Delhi sometime while I am here so I can see the Taj Mahal.

Since my first quarter is coming to a close, I will reflect on thoughts throughout...

I remember when I first arrived here I hated this country and did not like this base solely because no one welcomed me here and I did not meet any of my SBS staff for the first 11 hours I was in this country.

During the first 3 weeks of the inductive study method seminar I felt the school get harder and harder and did not know if I would survive.

Slowly getting to know the other students and realizing how little time I really have for relationships was quite a new experience. I know that after my first 3 months of DTS I knew everyone so well, and in this school there are less students, but I don't know them as well at this point. It's a whole different ball game than DTS. I think I went from the easiest school, which doesn't seem so easy until you do another one, to probably the most intense school YWAM has to offer. What was I thinking?

Something I realized was that I don't know if I ever actually read the Bible before this school! Every book we have done has been like a whole new book to me! Even ones I claimed were some of my favorites!

I am more honest here and open and have told many struggles to people that I never even shared with close friends at home.

God speaks to me through every single book we do. This always comes as a joy and sometimes hard thing to hear.

I don't know if I'll ever want to come home because things in this country are so cheap compared to uh-marica.

I remember being so excited Obama was elected. That was a good day in November.

Slowly falling in love with this country over the last 3 months has truly been a blessing and a funny sight to see. I did not think it would happen.

I realized I have been spiritually oppressed in one area of my life, which actually leaks into all areas of my life, ever since I can remember. That's a hard and huge thing to realize now as an almost 23 year old.

I watched the entire season 3 of The Office in one month here.

It has been so interesting actually getting to know the authors of these books of the Bible and getting to know the audiences of the letters or books. I feel like I actually, personally know Paul. I also feel like I personally know Timothy, and that he is actually my twin brother because we both struggle with the same things. It has been so amazing the last 24 hours studying Matthew. I really feel like I know Jesus more than I ever did, and I think Matthew is my favorite gospel so far. It makes Jesus seem like a real person to me and I think I know more about Judaism now than I ever have, but I haven't even started the Old Testament yet. Oh my goodness. I am in for a treat.

My final highlight...I have grown accustomed to eating more spicy foods than I have ever eaten in my entire life! I love this country! You can't help but acquire a taste for them if that's the only food you're offered. Otherwise I'd starve to death.

Okay, enough reflection. Now onto the future. Tomorrow is our SBS Christmas party and also Sarah's birthday party. I was hoping they'd forget or overlook my b-day, but I was wrong. Also, tomorrow is the day Lottie and I dress up in red Indian dresses and Santa hats and run around this town taking pictures of ourselves everywhere and anywhere. It will be the most fun ever. I tell you what. I will put all the pictures on here once we've finished our day of spreading Christmas cheer in India. Chikki-yeah.

Friday is HIS graduation night (School of Humanities in Science)! It'll be sad to see those guys go on Saturday, but I also get to go on Saturday. To Nepal! I am so excited to see another new country and spend my golden birthday there. This year couldn't get any better. I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures of the mountains of Nepal and the shenanigans that happen while there.

I hope you all have a happy Christmas and a wonderful New Year! I don't know if I'll write again before next year. I cannot believe it's almost 2009. These years are flying by. Thank the good Lord we have not only this life to look forward to but life beyond what we know here. Living in the fullness of his kingdom!

May the peace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all as we celebrate his birth, and my love is with you all.

Take me away, a secret place, a sweet escape, take me away

Even though I myself am white, I find myself staring at other white people in this town just like how the locals stare at me every single day. It fascinates me to see other whiteys here. I want to know why they are here, for how long, where are they staying. Pretty much all the questions we are not supposed to really answer when the locals ask us. Today some random man was asking me why I was here and where I was staying. I had to say I am a tourist and I'm staying at some place around here. Ha cha cha. We need to be safe you know (as I write all about this on the internet of all places).

2nd Corinthians has turned out to be more a favorite of mine than 1st Corinthians. Also, God is stirring up desires in me that I never even considered because I was so opposed to it that I laughed at friends who have been sucked in to these desires. I will share more when and if I ever feel comfortable to share to all. Just know that God might be asking me to do something crazy, and I really don't want to think about it, but He keeps reminding me of it. That's the way he works. He always turns my desires toward his and even though I pray for that to happen most of the time I am never ready for it.

Hebrews is wonderful. I love this book, and after being incredibly angry and frustrated with the fact that we have only 1.5 days of actual work time to complete this rather large book, I realized I'm being a baby, or an infant (as it even says in Hebrews). It is kind of obnoxious though to finally get a book that I actually want to study more in depth, but then have this book be the only one I have no time to do that with. Also, Melchizedek is no small topic, or rather, person.

I am getting so exhausted here. I have two weeks left of this quarter. Time has sure flown by! I keep telling myself, "In 2 weeks I will have time to sleep, in 2 weeks I will have time to relax, in 2 weeks I will have time to breathe." Don't worry, I am not suffocating here. Homework can be overwhelming at times and I hardly ever find time to do the Psalm assignment. I don't know how I will make it through two more quarters of this. Even so, I just keep trucking because in 2 weeks I will get a break. A lengthy break at that. One where I don't have to be in India for a while and can clear my head and not even have to think about charts and structure and builds. It sounds like heaven. Ya'll don't know how lucky you are to have no idea what I am talking about! But, let me just say that I am SO glad I am here right now at this moment and would not want to be anywhere else with anyone else. God is stirring up new ideas inside me and he is healing my heart which I need more than most things right now. More than food and shelter even.

I will miss my fellow class-mates while I am in Nepal trekking around the mountains. I am very thankful I will get to see them all again come January when class starts again. However, I am not happy that the DTS students will go on outreach while I am gone and when I return they will still be on outreach and a new DTS class will start. I love this DTS class and don't want to open my heart to new students, but wait, I will not only get to know a new batch in January-April, but I will get to meet even another DTS class in April! I will go from knowing one half-Indian because he is my cousin, to knowing one billion Indians (yes, the entire population of India) in the span of 9 months.

It will be so strange to be home again in July or August and be surrounded by whiteys wearing scandalous clothes. Oh-merica, you are like the bad boy that I know I should not like, but I can't help but fall in love with you and let you influence all of my life.

I should start listening to Christmas music even though it does not feel or look like Christmas here. Not that Christmas should look white and feel cold, but it is what I am used to.

Blessings to you all, and keep the campus here in your prayers as a lot of change is happening soon with Christmas break and the DTSers going on outreach. That is going to be very challenging for them, so if you think about it say a prayer for the DTS students about to get dirty and about to experience real work for the Lord! HA ha ha ha ha. I am excited to hear their stories when they come back from outreach.

You have her pictures everywhere

Those are all from local outreach. Sorry the first one of me in my Salwar Kameez is blurry...that's all I got.

And also some from the Princess Party, Romesh and I (fellow SBS students), and an elderly begger in Pune.