I haven’t updated in SO long! Sorry.
I spent my first Monday in Kindergarten this week. Such precious children! 53 of them to be exact. My first job was to comfort and hold this little girl because her car got hit on the way to school that morning and she was all shaken up. Best part of my day! There was this little boy that got up in front of the class and was all pissed and throwing his little hands around... apparently he was mad at the driver that hit the little girls car and wanted to beat him up and hang him on a nail on the wall! The teacher tried to explain how we should forgive others… he wasn’t taking it. Haha Tuesday of this week I started making arrangements for the April trip and I baked some Zucchini muffins for our neighbors and friends. Wednesday’s im in the Creche (daycare) and I’m already starting to have attachments to these babies! This one little girl, Rania, will look at you and say "mommy went to wash her handsss" any time she starts to miss her mom. It's SO cute! By like the 34358974 time I'm like oh yeah? She won’t have any hands left! (She doesn’t understand me bc she speaks Hindi, haha) We have 11 kids in there under 3 but most are 1 ½ - 3 so it’s such a fun learning age! This Friday for the cooking class I decided to teach “No-Bake Cookies”. It was the quietest the class had ever been, which was a sign they liked them, I guess (= I was happy.
Going back EVEN further, Saturday the 13th, we went on a family hike. It was one of the most beautiful we’ve had here. It was a great day of walking and enjoying each other and even just sitting and enjoying the breeze on top of this mountain. (Where we could see sheep being herded down the side) The mustard seeds were just beginning to bloom and the entire ground under the apple trees were a bright yellow. It was absolutely beautiful. (If you have me on facebook, I uploaded some pictures from this day)
Back to more of the present… This past Wednesday I started feeling sick again. I ran a fever for a few days but by Saturday I started feeling slightly back to normal. It’s Monday now and I’m almost fully recovered, besides a sinus deal.
Today was my second Monday in Kindergarten (KG) and I was only in their about half the time and then Lizzy Mam gave me a project to do, so I’ve been working on that this afternoon. The weather is amazing here. I almost can’t even believe how drastic of a change it is from when we first arrived here. From 3 feet of snow to 60’s and 70’s with perfect blue skies and a constant breeze, has been quite the nice adjustment. (=
Today I logged on facebook to see my entire newsfeed blown up with friends status updates talking about the healthcare plan being passed and how crappy it is, or how we’re doomed, or blah blah blah. It’s funny to me to see how much ”faith” people seem to have in someone they don’t even necessarily agree with. I don’t know about you guys, but MY faith is in someone far greater, far more powerful, and far more in control than Obama and that’s Jesus Christ! I really can’t even wrap my head around why so many young people, well people in general, have such a lack of faith in the promise that God does what He says he’s going to do and God is who He says He is. And if that’s truly the case, then don’t you think He’s the one in control? Food for thought.
Third update and first whole month in Manli! I really can’t believe it’s been an entire month, yet it feels SO long ago that we were stuck in the snow without power. Things are starting to sink in, reality has hit. I think reality for me has been the fact that my “family” here is now really having to become my family. It’s hard living with people that aren’t your own family. That you just met 3 days prior to leaving. That may be completely different than you. It was a rough week of feeling A. frustrated with the house and B. frustrated with the fact I’m half way across the world and not doing what all I had anticipated. Monday I came to yet another reality. I should love regardless. Regardless if it’s being given, regardless of how I’m treated, regardless of differences or conflicts in personality. God calls us to simply love. I also came to the conclusion that maybe God wants me to learn stillness. “Be still and know that I am God.” Being still is not easy. It’s been a month of waiting. Waiting for our house parents to get here. Waiting for our internships to start. Waiting for the snow to melt. Simply be still. Grant and Charlene arrived here Wednesday morning and we were SO happy to welcome them!! It was also Kevin’s birthday so I was pressured into making the first cake while being here… It was delicious! (To my relief, we cook in a toaster oven! Yeah.) We quickly got settled in to our internships as soon as Charlene was rested enough to arrange plans for us. Friday was all of our first days in working “Fun Fridays” at the school. I am working with a teacher teaching cooking to 16 first to fourth graders. I already love it! On Mondays I’m working in the Kindergarten class, Wednesdays I’m working in the “Creche” which is daycare for hospital and school staff, and Tuesday/Thursday I’m working as “hospitality administrator”, coordinating service projects and the short-term mission trip in April. I’m really excited about all of this! What I do ask for you to pray about is in my returning, where I’ll be returning. I have two weeks to pray and decide about re-returning and registering for classes at YHC. I’m asking for a crystal clear answer on where I need to be. It’s hard for me to be figuring and wrestling with stuff like this while I’m here because I want so desperately to have all my attention and focus here but there has to be a line. Even though I want that, my life will continue on when I return home. It’s hard because I find myself constantly planning and day dreaming in all my spare time. Never the less I need to live more in the present and less in the future. Also continue to pray for my “family” here and our unity and vulnerability. I look forward to e-mailing soon with stories of all my new adventures and adorable students (=
Living and Loving,
Ashley
((Matthew 25:42-43))
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