Happiness, There's Nothin' Better

This is what happens when two people who rarely receive packages receive a package. 

Let me just clarify that one of the greatest and best encouragements you can ever give a missionary is sending them a package. It does not even have to be big and if you send it through the USPS it's not too expensive. hint. hint. wink. smile.

Here we have my strong husband who surprised me by bringing home our package and a giant bag of vegetables.

This is me saying, "yesssss" as I see he brought home the goods and our package finally arrived.

Here I am trying to hurry him along to open up this bad boy.

And we have reached the jackpot. Boxers for my Dharling. I had to explain who the Pillsbury Dough Boy was. You try doing it and let me know how it goes.

The greatness that was enclosed.

Just look at how happy I am for good coffee. If you know anything about Indian coffee you'll know it's awful and worthless and so you probably feel really happy for me and Romel right now knowing we finally get to enjoy good coffee.

My favorite candy bars of all time! Oh life is too sweet right now, literally, I've been eating candy all day.

Look at my home! Postcards with pictures of Loons and lakes and other Minnesota things. Ahhhhhhh.

Then of course, I had to actually make some jello (which was included in the package) for my husband who has never seen or tasted or heard of Jello in his life. 

All in all, it was a good haul. Seriously.

Thank you goes out to my wonderful brother Sean and his wife Penny for sending us this awesome stuff that makes me miss home a little less. I also get to share some of my favorite things with my husband even though he can't come experience them for himself yet.

Items that were included:

Bubble Gum - chocolate chip mint ice cream and orange dreamsicle flavor!

Swedish Fish! No need for explanation.

Gummy bears

Gummy worms

100 Grand Bars

Boxers

Starbucks Medium roast coffee babiessssss!

Minnesota postcards.

Minnesota Vikings family window decals

Jello Gelatin and Jello pudding

Jelly Belly jelly beans! I will say it was fun having Romel taste the weird, yet surprisingly accurate flavors. I.e. buttered popcorn. If only I had the Harry Potter Jelly Bellies. 

A deluxe roadmap of Minnesota

I'm sure there are a few I'm forgetting, but you get the general idea of awesomeness.

So there you have it, an easy, cheap, and perfect way to encourage and uplift anyone living overseas. I've spent more time away from Minnesota in the past three years than ever in my life. I love India, but you start to miss simple, little things like Jello pudding and swedish fish. 

Studies, Cylinders, and a Song

It's September. Can you even believe it?

In a mere three weeks the next School of Biblical Studies (SBS) is going to start and I am the lucky lady who gets to teach for the first three days of the school! I am the one who will set the standards for how this school will be. I will be teaching the students the basics and foundation to their entire nine-months of Bible study. Talk about a heavy load! Good thing it really isn't about me at all. God will speak through me. God will use me. He will help the students understand and there is nothing at all to be worried about...except for my procrastination. I am very good at that.

As you can see, the preparations have already begun. 

And so here we go again. After the last SBS I staffed fully I told myself and others around me I'd never staff another one, but it seems as though every time I say "never" it always ends up happening. I said I'd never go to India, but I did and then I said I'd never marry an Indian. I did that too. I said I'd never teach and here I am, teacher extraordinaire. Maybe I should take this time to say, "I'll never have a million dollars, I'll never have an iPad, and I'll never be skinny." 

In India people use gas cylinders, much like propane tanks you buy and re-fill for your grills at home. We keep replacing them when the gas runs out and as usually happens for me, my gas runs out and I go a few days without gas since it takes them twice as long as they say to deliver a new one to my door. It's quite frustrating because then I can't cook really and I can't make chai (which is the most frustrating thing of all!). So, today I have to figure out how I can re-heat the Indo-Chinese leftovers in our convectional oven. Ah the joys of living in India. I could write a book. Perhaps I will one day. If only I could make some pancakes. It's like my comfort food here. Whenever I miss home I can just whip up some pancakes but not today my friends. Not today.

My world-famous apple pancakes.

I received an e-mail today stating that my "home" church, if you could call it that, is going to give me half the money I need for my plane ticket home in November! Praise God! Things always work out when you put your trust in Him. For reals. So, now I just need $600 more dollars and I can book my ticket home. That's pretty close to nothing at all! 

I recently wrote a song about this strange place I now call "home" which is India. It's quite rough and I actually wrote it on the piano so it seems a little weird on the guitar, but bear with me okay? It has been a flipping long time since I played the guitar I am ashamed to admit.

Here are the lyrics in case you can't understand what I'm saying, and also, disregard the very beginning where it sounds like I tried to do a remix of myself, it's just what my laptop does randomly in every video I record at certain times. 

When I set foot in this place for the first time

I had no clue what you would do to me

You changed my eyes, you changed my mind

about you

You took my comfort, you stole my smile

for a while

But then you grew, you grew so quickly on me

Next thing I knew, you became a permanent part of my heart

You made me feel love, you made me see pain

in a new way

You gave me a home, so far away

from the old one

Oh India, my sweet India

I could just scream sometimes when I see the real you

I'd like to run away, but I think I'll stay hopeful

You're not always kind, you don't always help

your people

The rich are getting richer, the poor are getting poorer

underneath you