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