Preponderances

My last days in Kodai were somewhat of a blur, as might be expected.  Whirlwind is kind of my style. Hence, I left in a bit of a rush (surprise!) such that the taxi driver (the same one who brought me up the mountain some 3 ½ months ago!) graciously brought me back to retrieve my green shopping bag from market which had my camera and, I thought, my documents for return. Turns out, the librarian found them and mailed them to me the following day (Praise the Lord, they just arrived!). Obviously, my mind was a bit scattered that last day. Everything that was going on I was trying to process and prepare for re-entry and ensure that I was leaving on a good note.

I have yet to understand the music of that mountain and how my guest playing didn’t disturb the symphony too much, although, I wouldn’t want it to just be null and void, either. I don’t necessarily “march to the beat of my own drum,” but it’s hard to realize that I will be another to walk through the “revolving door” I wrote about upon return. It is true, on both ends, this time becomes a memory suddenly distant, hopefully not altogether wiped clear. True as well, is the impact which lives have on one another and that difficulties have in shaping us (as Christians, into the image of Christ—how thrilling!). As I read this morning, life is all about developing character, often through suffering rather than plush living, because that is what we can take with us through to eternity. In this way, I recognize that maybe it is alright to admit the difficulties and the ways that I struggled this semester because, perhaps, no, certainly, I grew in ways I never anticipated and must now apply all of this to a completely different reality, yet reality, all the same.

People tend to speak of getting into the “real world” more and more frequently as we prepare to depart from the “Wheaton bubble.” The majority of the students here (and people in any “bubble”) have gone in and out of this community over the years, and the world is continually more “globalized,” as we all well know. This has always been a pet peeve of mine, people not living their life in reality or recognizing that this is real life. “Remember, wherever you go, there you are,” or, as my youth pastor used to remind us, “The youth are not ‘the future of the church,’ they are an active part of it.” 

C.S. Lewis’ perspective struck me particularly accurately this morning (living with one’s “back to the engine” as society accelerates to who knows where). “The great thing is to be found at one’s post as a child of God, living each day as though it were our last, but planning as though our world might last a hundred years.”  

This is what I have thought yet not been able to formulate so eloquently. Live for today “specializing in the past” in light of eternity. The great balancing act we call life in search of the genuine. Even if we have to go from bubble to bubble.  Perhaps this bubble travel still allows us to piece together parts of the bigger picture in light of true reality and God’s design. Like my host dad in Costa Rica reminded me, the view of the earth from the moon is quite different; looking back at from whence you came from where you are is a difficult act, but essential to your going back having grown.

This song has been periodically stuck in my head over the last couple of months (rotating with Lazy-- “Today I don’t feel like doin’ anything . . .”—thanks to the girls at the interdorm dance competition and my adjustment to American culture…): Hillsong’s “You’ll Come”

I have decided, I have resolved
To wait upon you, Lord.
My rock and redeemer shall not be moved.
I’ll wait upon you, Lord!

As surely as the sun will rise
You'll come to us.
As certain as the dawn appears . . .

You'll come.

Let your glory fall as you respond to us.
Spirit, reign. Flood our hearts with holy fire again

We are not shaken we are not moved;
We wait upon you Lord.
Our Mighty deliverer, my triumph and truth--
I'll wait upon you, Lord.

You'll come.

Let your glory fall as you respond to us.

Come and fill our thirsty hearts again, you’ll come. You’ll come.

Chains be broken
Lives be healed
Eyes be opened
Christ is revealed

For the more bullet-oriented folk: Last days in Kodai included (in no particular order):

Masala tea masala tea masala tea

Funny conversations with shop owners in gathering gifts (some of which I can’t 

find, now …. : [)

Mountain beauty—no rain my last week! (not that rain isn’t good)

Walks and runs up in the hills or down around Ganga and the lake

Family dinner at the Morrison’s and a little party with the dorm kids at Janice’s with the thought-out and obvious gifts from my students that they had been not-so-subtly hinting at throughout the week

Church at the chapel

Last days teaching and student scenes for Number the Stars

Lots of hugs and beautiful farewells ( I hope Beth sends me her little speech from assembly)
Rohaan: Can the boys get a group hug, too?! (girls their age still have cooties)

Last dinner with the basketball team at Aby’s

Prayer with men and women of God who I cherish

Compiling everything for Wheaton

Cooking dinner at a friend’s house—adventures of improvising and nearly poisoning our neighbor

Haircut and time with families we’ll miss

Packing L

Mini tour of Mumbai and the Indian reality once again because I had to take a taxi through Mumbai to the international airport from the domestic (mad at myself for getting ripped off because the men who “helped” with my luggage saw my larger bills and pretty much took them straight from my wallet; guess they needed it more!)

Interesting people on the planes, discussing the world and being confused for being Norwegian with a very American accent.

Back in the U.S.A.

Picked up by church family at the airport and welcomed by fall leaves. Ahh.

Love from friends and family who understand.

Church. Worship.

Visiting people and hearing about life.

Assignments bogging me down. Boo. But great to complete!

Education department/fellow student teachers. So great. Including dinner with the other student teachers who were overseas at our professor’s house for Swedish pancakes. Wow.

Run around little Jesse with my uncle and our adventure with our new, independent friend (dog)

Thanksgiving!! Praise the Lord for this indescribable gift (and those we can describe)

Family. And friends.

Soup and fruit and vegetables. Yum.

Sleep. Organizing.

Remembering I can’t “get it all together,” and that’s not even the goal.

Some of my postcards are just arriving in the states on my tail baha

Etc. etc. etc.

It’s December!!!

Honestly, it’s more strange this week than it was the first couple of weeks being back. It might be the throes of culture shock, or it could just be old insecurities or uncertainties creeping up and assaulting me. Probably a little of both (or a lot of both, since I’m dramatic).

Apparently, I should have been more careful or glowing in my first reports upon getting back (embrace the autumn leaves, jet-lag and confusion aside). Turns out, as we well know, people tend to latch onto the negatives. As the Spirit indwells us, our entire perspective changes—be transformed by the renewing of your mind—a large order in this last part of senior year of college—then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is: His good, pleasing and perfect will.

So that you know: I love Kodai, the mountain and the people there. It is gorgeous and incredibly quirky. I miss it.

It's the final countdown

My mom challenged me with a thought from Acts the other day, and it’s one I’ve been meditating on the past few days, what I tell to my basketball girls all the time in shooting and in finishing a game: it eventually comes down to the follow through. I am terrified that it’s not in me. Yet, I am determined to grow and change . . . now. Take your time, but hurry up?
John Mark ditched out and missed out. I don’t want to do that. Even though God can and does redeem and reconcile, how much greater to experience the sustaining power and the fruits of perseverance. Goodness gracious. Still struggling with perseverance versus the tangles of perfectionism with procrastination.

From a sermon I listened to online the other day (not at home, at work, although internet was on at Swedish house yesterday!) “Life is an incremental series of becoming what you are in Christ. You can move. God is in you. You can move toward becoming the giver, the fountain that you are. People need you—no one can say to another, ‘I don’t need you.’” Where your joy will be deep and strong, and intense, and long.

Highlights working backwards from tonight--Sunday, 6 November:

Soup and conversation with Aren—dorm mom for upper Swedish boys

Processing with Sarah and relishing sunshine today

Our tacky fall display in our entryway

Nischaya loving to mimic my laugh along with “Bummer” and “Shucks!” once we established what they mean. Also the boys coming to sit by me during church. Aww.

Craziness of teaching while dropping and the students wanting more when we finished reading Number the Stars last week.

Enthusiastic hugs when I returned after being gone for only a couple of days.

Basketball tournament in Ooty—another hill station

Working to motivate and keep girls calm and strategize and support and teach etc. even as things turn unfair even when all seems stacked against you. For instance, one of our girls got a hug, a slap and a throw down which earned her a delayed whistle . . . and a call for a travel. This, in turn soon led to another  member of my team earning herself a technical before I could get her off the court. No, those are not the things I’m proud of, nor was it fun to run into a discipline issue the last day. Rather, I am ecstatic over how far we’ve come from the beginning to the end of the season. I wondered what I had gotten myself into a couple of months ago, but am so glad I jumped in headlong. These girls are great. Loved to see development, good defense, passes, keeping it together in our final game, cheering, determination, hustle, friendship with another team, joking, every girl on the team scoring in one of our games . . . these are the things that make me glad to be a basketball coach. Those girls will still talk with me and sometimes even respect me ; ) even when I look like a fool cheering and jumping up and down or trying to get the referee’s attention and being ignored because I’m white or just dressing like a dork.

We enjoyed good food and fun at the guest house (where I froze even with a hot water bottle—MN did not prepare me well, or I thought I was more tough than I am in reality. Further side note: being “tough” or “brave” inasmuch as it means bravado or independence is not really valued here, so my sticking my chin out and toughing it out at different points has not earned me valor points or compassion, just tsking.) and at Punjabi Daba restaurant. Those girls crack me up. 

A couple of situations led me to ponder truthfulness, example, standards, excellence and brokenness, as well. I remembered I like the going but “stuckness” of long car rides or road trips and the reflection that takes place. I enjoyed listening to music while watching the montage of images as we drove through cities and up and down mountain passes.

Long long bus ride back after waking to find the girls asleep and the bus stopped randomly a few different times. (one of these times, the helper excitedly points right in front of the bus window—“look, see the chickens!” yes, it is obvious that that truck directly in front of us has crammed too many birds into metal cages. Lovely sight to wake to at midnight, thanks.)  Finally “reaching” and begging the bus driver and helper to bring me all the way up to Swedish house and having to go back for my bag. Oops. Quarter ‘till 3 am rapping on the door to awaken my roommate in the wee hours of the morning. Sorry!

Football game last week in the mud and fog—ahh so good to play! Little things like assists and goals feel good.

Digging deeper in conversation with friends and coworkers here.
learning Paciencia, understanding before judgment, listening, quiet, stillness and grace.

So, what about me fits here? Well, not a whole lot, in all actuality, but somehow, I’ll still be leaving a part of me and taking a new part with me.

Now it’s game time—the final countdown. Mental toughness. Walk it out.

Reflections on a Sunday 6-11

As a result of reading a few books, listening to a few sermons, being part of a tension and living life.

So, church. The body, anyone? This morning at times left me saying, “Jesus? I love Jesus.” The Word of God became flesh and dwelled among us. We have seen his glory—the glory of the one and only, come from the Father, full of grace and truth. The head of the body for a reason. Incredible imagery to think of the fragility of the brain and its helplessness without the members.  (Especially relevant as my umbrella nearly gave me a concussion this morning before church. No joke.) Reliant on signals from nerves throughout the body, the brain controls and unifies the actions of not only complex, differentiated systems, but organs and cells within those systems.  This is a beautiful picture, but as I was reading in Disappointment with God, a risk of sorts, because when we use imperfect people to represent and embody a perfect God, we still show the brokenness of “holding this treasure in jars of clay to show that this all-surpassing greatness comes not from us but from God.” Holiness is what we strive for, not as what we do or pushing our way, but rather, as a far-away friend reminded Sarah and I, by “being” in the midst of “doing.” Who you are is to be celebrated in Christ (birthdays?!). Moreover, God delights to show love to His children. Parts of this picture are discipline from the Lord: direct spankings for those he loves, along with suffering and difficulty, not necessarily the glamorous “perfect” you might imagine. Rather, the broken, weary, redeemed, whole, joy never-ending, abundant life. This means, we don’t make the gospel more or less offensive; we stand for Truth. The Truth shall set you free. Choose your battles wisely and fight them hard, first on your knees.

Sarah and I also shared a joyful time, well many joyful, effervescent moments, but also a session of pontificating about heaven and the glory and joy that will be there in fulfillment of all we are and the glimpses we receive here in doing “what we were meant to do” at times as well as the gifting of all that we are and have, completely, in the presence of our Savior.

Jesus musings from the down days

Do I know why I’m here? Not fully yet.

For we are God’s workmanship.

Created in Christ Jesus.

To do good works.

Which GOD prepared beforehand.

That we would walk in them.

Were dead

Used to live like that

Follow different

Still there –Not just you—everyone giving in-ick

Wrath. Condemned.

His great love for us

God—rich in mercy

Alive in Christ while dead!

Grace                                                                                    Raised!

Seated

Coming—incomparable riches of grace

Shown in kindness                                                                                                          Through Jesus

Grace saved—faith—gift—nothing we’ve done—nothing to brag about! Because (beginning)

Eph. 2

What’s the value if no one knows you or loves you or hears you?

God does, but is that just a cop-out? Or is it the depth of truth? How does it then overflow into how I listen to my Lord and other people?

Jealousy starts pull at you; envy unravels your beautiful exterior

Pride will bring you boasting to a cliff before gleefully pushing you to your defeat.

Bitterness’ taste lingers terrible on your tongue and kills like poison

Anger burns you to a crisp leaving little behind

Anxiety will eat away at you slowly then consume you

Fear will chase you and burry you alive

Courage will embolden you and strengthen you

Truth will fight for you victoriously

Comfort will soothe your aches and pains

Compassion will adorn you as the finest jewels

Love will heal and fill to overflowing what were the most vacant and empty spaces

Grace will shower you as the spring rain waters the earth

Perseverance will produce grit—hope that comes like strengthened muscles rather than torn hands. Like feet calloused by walking a challenging, joyous, rode to wisdom.

Confidence will be your goal and great reward like a crown that you immediately bestow on another or a wedding ring over which you can’t stop gushing.

. . .

Hebrews.

In the thick of things--still a peek at the in-between posts.

The past week (second week of October, I think) has been characterized by joy and exhaustion.

Receiving and giving love in different ways and gritting out the imperfection of life.

Miss Linnea —Cute: morning hugs and playing with my hair when I accompany Sarah for dorm devos. My grade 5 students aren’t the only ones who recognize me and want my attention, although I struggle with their attention games, lamenting the fact that I cannot be everyone’s private tutor—pushing them to challenge themselves and each other, too! All of the students at KIS bring me joy and make me want to love children forever. “I’ll love you forever. I’ll like you for always…” Yes, they are frustrating beyond words when they whine, tattle, “Miss!,” scream, disengage etc. Still, understanding just the slightest slice of the perspective (we’re talking about that tomorrow in Language Arts) of our “precious heavenly Father.” My students all pushed each other in maths this week and were crazily distracted working on grammar, sat enthralled for poetry and begged to get the chance to work on their summative assessments.

Ok, so I know what goes on in my class (to some extent!), but it turns out we had a little barber shop during Tamil (second language class)—not sure how that happened. “But I told him only to cut a little!” oops.  This is the humorous side, but there are also issues of bullying and home life/dorm life to consider and pray about and about which to communicate with students and superiors.

Basketball is a joy, a challenge, and a frustration in a different realm. We have our tournament in a little over a week. Yikes. Strikes. I like working with Beth and wish I could be more of a support in the rest of life. Everyone feels over-worked, including the high-schoolers with their own stress. My players are still afraid of me “because [I’m] tall.” That’s what the children at the orphanage said, and they, legitimately small, got over it in a couple of hours! We have lots to work on, what with missing girls to any number of sicknesses, injury, school event or life challenge. Pricked to pray and be diligent with them! Don’t worry, I don’t make them do crazy running unless I participate. Just another thing I never suspected I’d be doing!

My little friend Ezme wrote me a simple note she eagerly asked me to open the other day which reads, “Ezme loves Linnea.” Do I send these notes to others often enough? Do I tell this to my lover constantly in what I do and say? Do I read the greatest love letter of all as the sustaining nourishment it is?

Forced to stop on Monday—sicky sick. Ok, great. The smallest acts of kindness nearly brought me to exhausted tears that day, but Tuesday was more than enough of “it gets worse before it gets better.”  I’m determined to keep going and have felt immensely improved this week!

Tastes of fall: the air, sarah’s apple pie, leaves changing colors, football, planning the school fall celebrations, hikes through the woods, masala tea . . .

Little adventures and unexpeteds: speaking Spanish, making fry-ems into “pasta”?, coaching soccer a little, going to Tibs—again. Playing mofia, meeting business execs, feeling lonely, reading my Not So Common book and poetry with students . . .

And life goes on.

Looking back into a few of the lessons learned

Moving on. Reflection from a few weeks ago.

With my up and down personality and musings, it is only fitting that I thought of a song from my own middle school years yesterday walking down the mountain:

… Pressing on. I won’t look back and take this anymore because I’m done with that. I have one foot out the door. To go back to where I was would just be wrong—I’m pressin’ on.

The context was in being sick, but it applies, nonetheless to any situation of life and was the topic spoken about in religious assembly, just today—perseverance.  “I have decided to follow Jesus. No turning back.”

On our ethereal and magical hike this past weekend with the middle schoolers, we passed through a natural butterfly garden whilst parading down a stone wall which runs along a stream and a hedge along a forest. Flittering past. Bright blue! Purple, red, black, white, yellow, green.

Thinking about transition as the butterfly reminds me of God’s love and vitality, I have to consider where I’m at in this awkward position of student-teacher. I can’t say that I think we ever transition out of this phase. We always have much to teach and much to learn—who doesn’t learn from a young child or learn even as she ages with graying hair? Even so, I am aching in the growing pains just as scripture describes of all of creation. As I see and feel and know and believe I need to grow up and move on in maturity, again, as Paul absconds the church. Seeking in order to lay down. Striving to let go. Working to rest. The paradoxes of the divine wisdom of the truth and logic of faith. Oh joy of joys and mysteries revealed. “Run like a vagabond.”

I apologize for not writing sooner.
Today I feel like I'm coming alive again, just as the earth continues to spin so the sun comes up anew each morning with His new mercies. I was quite excited to awaken with the sunshine today! Of course, it rained in the afternoon--the dragonflies have gone and monsoon round two has begun. "When the drops start dropping...."
Still, I was quite out and off for a couple of weeks, and I will post from those dark days soon. ; )
I'm hoping to get on top of things more or less and not let my departure catch me off guard next month!

A couple of headlines for the week:
No school due to local elections Monday. Days and nights of blaring music and speeches coming from the backs of trucks are over and firecrackers are in order. Still, it will all only increase as Divali arrives soon!
Doctor visits icrease in frecuency.
My friends, the lovely nurses in the dispensary tell me it is always a busy place, and I added to the numbers in finally submitting myself, per tattling by my friend, Sarah. Over-diagnosed and given diet and anti-biotics. How much will I listen? Not sure. Thanks to my pharmacist friend for your consultation--so proud of you!
Teaching lessons lessens
It's a bit awkard to hand over the classroom as I am starting to see all of the thins I could/should implement. I'm still teaching, but part-time again, and now the work load is just as heavy, only different! Being sick definitely set me back. :(
The kid are still a challenge and a joy.
Die, Rat, Die!
This could be heard coming from my mouth after a period of glass-shattering (no, that's the middle school boys who break our windows, not me) screeching. Didn't know I was such a screamer. The rat is back. This time it moved Sarah's soap into the bedroom and enjoyed a feast of rat poison in my drawer and left his mark. As I searched through my clothes, it scurried out and over my foot on its way into our living room! By the time we collected ourselves and tried to hunt him down with a shower curtain rod and a bucket, he had disappeared. Don't come back. Ever. (The middle-school boys were amused, though I think as their football game was interrupted outside.)
We're playing Basketball
I'm sure I'll talk more about this later, but I'm off for our second game in the tournament now. Well, first a welcome dinner for all of the teams. We're hosting a sort of tournament, and our girls played the other KIS team this morning and squeaked out a victory after a rugby-style battle. Ready for more?!
Love coaching, but it's rough being white.


Because of His great love, we are not consumed. His compassions never fail; they are new every morning. Great is Thy Faithfulness!

Field Trip Week

My brain is not functioning at optimal capacity, so I will spare you my deep or convoluted thoughts.

The past week’s “glory be” moments:

Drawing a mural and painting with my boys, interacting with and hearing a group of orphans sing to Jesus, and being blessed by the women who work there and the good food at Help A Child Home in hot hot (“It’s boiling, Miss!”) Madurai last Monday and Tuesday.

Other highlight moments of the field trip—teeth brushing party, bucket shower, killing massive beetles (sorry to my Buddhist friends), reading Esther with the girls and giving the boys piggy backs, sleepover at Peniel school (we had to stop and check where we were on our way there the first night—oops!)

Traipsing through the city with the whole group (including Mr. Benjie and Miss Pearlin and I) and discussing culture and religion after seeing Meenakshi temple from the top of a museum. The kids’ excitement over sweets and my joy in finding gum and cranberry almond crunch. ; )

Refreshing and staying at the Lamberts’ with real food, real people, really intense coloring endeavors, morning runs around the lake in the sunshine and spending time with Jesus. The Little Engine That Could

Mini-hike to Bear Shola to pick up trash with the fabulous third, fourth, and fifth graders and their teachers. Working at school, staying out later on the weekend like other people do ; ) surprise return of my roommate. Coffee run with Janice. “Adventures in Kodai” with Sandhya –paddle boating in the pouring rain, fording streams, buying kodai snacks and having almond drink while we watched Tangled. Bison-stalking with Midori. Sleepover and failure “to light a fire” with Sarah and babysitting together on Sunday—dancing and playing etc.

Surprise visit for dinner by friends and making something that resembled food by boiling something that’s supposed to be a fried snack. Baha. Sticky goop + good sauce with a form of garlic bread and okra= an ok meal.

On the whole, came into the week somehow still exhausted, behind, and discouraged, so my body’s trying to tell me to slow down or peace out or something, but I’m still nananana-ing and pushing forward. Stupid? Stubborn? Maybe. Necessary? Perseverance? That too.

My students are hilarious and bright when they want to be. I am discouraged when they disengage and I feel like I fail them or don’t have things planned as well as I would like or don’t execute and tap their brains to challenge or grow them… Little moments of shared, knowing smiles and conversations with colleagues are helpful. Students are fickle like I am. Our moods sometimes mirror each other, so I’m learning how to offer respect and responsibility and invite them to the same. The grade 5-ers encourage me when they engage and work hard at readings that are within their reach and are excited to share real-life connections or get worked up over a game or making sure I approve of their answers. They love doing the victory chant, and what used to be a punishment or re-focus--practicing staying quiet is now a challenge they ask for. I wish I could give them all the attention and differentiation they need, but they also have to meet me somewhere! Able to use the world series to challenge my high math student : ]

Still working the basketball girls—they’re great; they are intimidated by me, apparently. Not sure what to think about that yet, but I can at least push them to keep getting better, sometimes literally pushing them. : ) Tournament is coming soon!

Midori leaves in just a couple weeks, so my Minnesota friend will be gone. : (

Seeking solitude, truth, peace in the love of God through Christ Jesus our Lord in the power of the Spirit this week. Praying for all of God’s people around the world and for many of you in my other homes!

Walk it out.

Where we slept

mm. yeah :)

:)

lovely lily or, another midori flower ; ) also a part of our spooky story we crafted while peddle boating

the choir ;)

 largest Hindu temple in S. India. This is the E. gate

Up and down

“O Christ, cause Your love to absolutely compel me. Help me to be convinced that because One died for all, therefore all died. Help me to realize and fully appreciate the fact that because You died for all, we who live should no longer live for ourselves but for You who died for us and was raised again. (2 Cor. 5:14-15) Please don’t let me miss the joy and fulfillment of living my life for You. Please don’t let my own stubbornness of heart stand in the way of fulfilling your plan for my life.”  Praying God’s Word

When I first learned to walk, I wanted to run,

When I began learning to play the piano, I wanted to be an immediate maestro

As you practice and age, the complexities of harmonies and dissonance and phrasing

Come together but also try your patience,

Especially when it’s a very new piece of which you’ve never played the ending

Or, a very familiar piece where you can’t quite seem to finish it with flourish

Still, each note should be a “polished pearl”

“I love you, Lord, and I lift my voice to worship you. Oh, my soul, rejoice. Take joy, my king, in what you hear—may it be a sweet, sweet sound in your ear.”

Up and down and up and down…

Realizing from my run yesterday, the climb gets longer and steeper and more beautiful.

Seeing Sophia begin to walk and dance—up and down, up and down

Hiking long days through the hills and to the plains—up and down, up and down

Traveling off the hill and coming “home”—up and down, up and down

Going to school, coming back to Swedish House—up and down, up and down

Waking up and lying down to sleep—up and down, up and down

Welcomed and foreign—up and down, up and down

Success and defeat—up and down, up and down

Energized and exhausted—up and down, up and down

Thrilled and perplexed—up and down, up and down

So close, but so far away—up and down, up and down

Learning to climb—Up and down. Down and up.

Following the Master Shepherd to the highest heights, wherever he may lead along the way.

What has transpired?

Parent week, lots of hype, variety show, energy, short week,

Long weekend—visit to Pathaks in Pune! (Samoa ’06)

Being stared at like a zoo animal like never before

Football and cricket in the street, King Burger

Teaching “full time,” always feeling like there could be more

Decimal division—found out the students don’t know how to round decimals, so back it up!

Maps, maps, and more maps; Number the Stars

Misunderstandings and learning continually in teaching

Growing closer to my students

Turned 22

Dinner, dessert, friends, touches of home,

Dosas with Mrs. Gandhi and Mr. Palraj—love that couple with his subtle jokes and her effervescence

Speaking on Justice, Grace, and Forgiveness in the hope of the gospel and extended to friends in religious assembly

Coaching super seniors basketball-tourney’s coming fast!

Relaxing Saturday hand-washing my laundry, basking in the sunshine, going the unplanned route on m y run as I so often do at home, running into familiar faces, probably scaring the tourists with my reddened face from exercise…

Hanging out, coffee and banana bread, letter writing, Miss Tibet,

Ohohoh, control, gotta let you go… expectations continually having to adjust

Skype with fam and friends—blesses my heart

Amazing conversations with friends and colleagues and inspirations here, too! Challenging questions, seeing God move . . .

Narnia with Jeru and family

Church, racquetball—sorry, Ola!, yum-yum in honor of Sarah

Reminded of real repentance

“If I search around long enough, I’ll find insecurity beneath my grandiosity and arrogant expectations beneath my self-contempt” (So Long, Insecurity)

Learning, but still “much afraid”

“One step at a time, one step at a time, I’m climbin’ a mountain with Jesus by my side!”