Hello wonderful friends and family!
Man oh man! God has been so good to us.
Yesterday, we teamed up with Pastor Christopher and his son Steven's ministry (TVGM- Tamil Village Gospel Mission) for some time with the orphans that live there (they're a lot of fun). After playing with them and having lunch we went to probably the most extreme scenes yet.
The first place we went was a remote village that mostly consisted of widows and their children. We sang a few songs, prayed over the people, and served them a meal. It was funny but amazing to see how joyful and responsive the widows were to some of the hand motion songs we sang for the children. Their faces just lit up so beautifully.
After everyone was fed, we headed out to another village. This one was even smaller and was just on some random plot of land. The best way I can explain this community is that it is an independent living space for families with someone living with leprosy. We saw men with this disease sitting before us... it was unbelievable. Some of the most adorable children were amongst the family as well. We put on a similar program with this community as in the last.
I just know that seeing these communities is going to make it that much harder to come back to the states and adjust to such good living. We've all expressed how spoiled we feel considering our current surroundings.
I know I keep saying it but thank you so much for all of your prayers. We have all gone through some stomach pains within the last 24 hours. Daniel's had come back yesterday morning so he had to skip out on the day. He and Emily have had the most extreme cases. The rest of us have had minor issues. Praise God, we are all recovered. Daniel and Emily are taking some medicine to ensure their wellness.
Today was a pretty restful day. We didn't start any work until noon. Thankfully, we cancelled our prior plans with TVGM to stay around CLM and finish painting all the school desks and benches. We only have 8 out of 37 more that will be done tomorrow. Tomorrow night we will be celebrating our New Year by driving out to Bangalore for the next few days. Plans have changed from going to Cape Comorin to Bangalore partially due to the fact that my James Uncle and Auntie have gone up there a few days back for various reasons, but also because everything has set itself up smoothly and there will be more for us to do up there instead of cape comorin. We'll still be able to get to the coast as well as see some sights. :) This is a much needed break, I think we've all been pretty worn out from constantly going.
Once we get back, the CLM students will be back and we have 3 full programmed days with them. By the 8th we make our way back to Chennai for a VERY early flight on the 9th.
-Pray against any continued sickness and mental stability because it is easy for paranoia to hype up the mind and make a person sick.
-For safe travels to and from Bangalore, wherever we go, and of course our journey back together-may it be a million times smoother than the trip here. :)
-For the hearts of the orphans we played with. I know I've already formed an attachment in the little time we've spent with them, I can only imagine where their hearts are. May they be satisfied and joyful in Christ and brought up with the discipline and love they deserve to have though their parents have either abandoned them or have passed.
-Pray over all these ministries! That God would be the leader of their every move.
-This is especially important: the "leper colony" is facing a community conflict because a family has moved into the hut that was intended to be the colony's church. Pray that God's love exceeds all issues.
-And over our final programs with RCWC on Sunday (tentative) and our 3 days with the CLM kids. We need the holy spirit to outpour in every place.
-That we would have much rest and strength in the Lord.
We all love and miss you guys! Be blessed, you are a constant blessing to us :)
His,
Sarah
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Friday, December 26, 2008
Chennai.
Well hello again!
I think I said it in the last blog, but Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for your comments to these entries, it makes me smile to go back and read them; I'll be sure to pass it along to the rest of the team.
John Uncle and I were up around 5am and took off from Trichy by about 6:30. 5am may seem early but at this rate, the girls are starting to get used to it because there is a Hindu call to worship right next door that starts at 4:55am every morning until about 7am. It's annoying mostly because it's disturbing to our spirits to hear this Hindu worship blasting through their sound system into our bedroom. However, it has been a precious reminder-a call to worship our God, the one true God-for us each morning. I think each of us have woke up praying against these spirits every morning so far. It's hard but wonderful at the same time.
So anyway, John Uncle and I are here in Chennai at his sister-in-law's (my "auntie") apartment. We went straight to the airport during our drive up and PRAISE GOD they gave me my luggage without fees or struggle! They are even going to reimburse John Uncle for our travel up to the city :)
The rest of the team went back to do a program at Pastor Ellis' church (which is the same church we went to on Christmas day-yesterday). This church was drastically different than Jesus Our Lord church. This was sort of the "mega church" of the area...in a wealthier part of town with over 200 satellite churches here in Tamil Nadu/Madras (state) as well as Kerala and another state. These 200 some churches have sprung up in only the last 2-4 years!! The Christmas program at that church was wonderful. Their children did songs, traditional tamilian dances, and skits. At the end, they brought in Santa Clause for the kids. Santa ended up pulling Kyle, Xan and Daniel up on stage to dance around. It was HYSTERICAL!! (Yes, we have video.) They were such good sports. Ang, Em and I were so relieved that it's improper for men to casually touch women here because that meant Santa couldn't pull us up there to dance!
Tonight, the girls are staying at John Uncle's apartment with his mother-in-law since the help at CLM are out of town for the holiday. I'm glad this worked out because "Peepie" (our most amazing help/co-administrator at CLM) wanted to go see her family in her home village and I wanted that so much for her as well since she has been doing more than enough for us since we've come.
My dad will be in town in a few hours!! So John Uncle and I are going to go pick him up and that's when we will start our journey back to Chennai once again. We will be meeting up with the rest of the team at Steven's orphanage which I am so excited about!
Thanks again for your love! Please continue in your prayers and fasting. We love you all :)
I think I said it in the last blog, but Merry Christmas everyone! Thank you for your comments to these entries, it makes me smile to go back and read them; I'll be sure to pass it along to the rest of the team.
John Uncle and I were up around 5am and took off from Trichy by about 6:30. 5am may seem early but at this rate, the girls are starting to get used to it because there is a Hindu call to worship right next door that starts at 4:55am every morning until about 7am. It's annoying mostly because it's disturbing to our spirits to hear this Hindu worship blasting through their sound system into our bedroom. However, it has been a precious reminder-a call to worship our God, the one true God-for us each morning. I think each of us have woke up praying against these spirits every morning so far. It's hard but wonderful at the same time.
So anyway, John Uncle and I are here in Chennai at his sister-in-law's (my "auntie") apartment. We went straight to the airport during our drive up and PRAISE GOD they gave me my luggage without fees or struggle! They are even going to reimburse John Uncle for our travel up to the city :)
The rest of the team went back to do a program at Pastor Ellis' church (which is the same church we went to on Christmas day-yesterday). This church was drastically different than Jesus Our Lord church. This was sort of the "mega church" of the area...in a wealthier part of town with over 200 satellite churches here in Tamil Nadu/Madras (state) as well as Kerala and another state. These 200 some churches have sprung up in only the last 2-4 years!! The Christmas program at that church was wonderful. Their children did songs, traditional tamilian dances, and skits. At the end, they brought in Santa Clause for the kids. Santa ended up pulling Kyle, Xan and Daniel up on stage to dance around. It was HYSTERICAL!! (Yes, we have video.) They were such good sports. Ang, Em and I were so relieved that it's improper for men to casually touch women here because that meant Santa couldn't pull us up there to dance!
Tonight, the girls are staying at John Uncle's apartment with his mother-in-law since the help at CLM are out of town for the holiday. I'm glad this worked out because "Peepie" (our most amazing help/co-administrator at CLM) wanted to go see her family in her home village and I wanted that so much for her as well since she has been doing more than enough for us since we've come.
My dad will be in town in a few hours!! So John Uncle and I are going to go pick him up and that's when we will start our journey back to Chennai once again. We will be meeting up with the rest of the team at Steven's orphanage which I am so excited about!
Thanks again for your love! Please continue in your prayers and fasting. We love you all :)
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Praise the Lord!
At last- internet access!
Getting to the internet has been wayyy harder than any of us thought it would be here. Fortunately, John Uncle brought me over to his place today so that I could update you all after leaving things hanging these last few days.
PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Things here have been so amazing. Angela, Emily and I made the 12 hour flight to Singapore smoothly and had an easy transition on Singapore Air to Chennai-our shortest int'l flight yet: 4 hours :)
We made it through customs and to baggage claim to discover that one of my two suitcases were put on another SingAir flight. They were going to mail it, but when they found I had more than 1 laptop in my possession when traveling (one packed in that suitcase), they chose to confiscate it until we can make the 6 hour drive back to Chennai to fight for it. Thankfully, Angela and Emily have been wonderful enough to let me use their clothes all these days...God found an easy way to pull me out of my comfort zone, that's for sure!
Kyle, Xan, and Daniel arrived at last on the 23rd. They drove thru the night from Chennai and met up with us at CLM around 1pm. Unexpectedly, Kristin took a step out in a different direction and chose to back down from the trip during all the complications with her flights. We all miss her here but know that God has a purpose for her remaining in the states as well as for the team to consist of the 6 of us here in India.
Dec. 22nd
Let me backtrack a little bit.
There's so much to tell! I will try to keep it brief to condense as much information as possible.
We (girls) slept on/off in the drive to Trichy and had our first cultural wake up call when we stopped at a bus rest stop to use the washrooms- these are no where near your typical restrooms, trust me, lol it was great :)
When we arrived in Akilandapuram, the village Christian Love Ministries is located in just outside of Trichy (nearest town), we didn't bother sleeping- we were too excited! Personally, I was overcome with the emotion of being in my late Achie's (grandmother's) home and staying in her room. The minute we walked in there I was so overwhelmed by thoughts of her outstanding life and how I never really processed her death that I burst into tears. Thankfully John Uncle was there to comfort and understand me.
So we stayed up that night and had our first shower in 4 days before the CLM Christmas program at 11am. Our shower isn't a western shower either! It felt so good to be cleaner though.:)
Anyway, we were introduced to the students and parents (all from different backgrounds- mostly Hindu and Muslim families) then sang "Joy to the World" and then we got to sit back and in awe watch the children sing, dance, and recite God's word from memory. It was amazing! An adult couple did a little puppet show and presented the gospel clear and hard...
Afterward, they had a lunch for everyone. You guessed it- this was not a church lunch like we would have in America either! There were mats lined along the floors of the classroom for people to sit down. Each person is given a banana leaf (these are India's paper plates) and were served their food. We tried to help serve, but everyone was just as eager to help and I think we were slowing down the process lol. It was hilarious. Once everyone was fed, Ang, Emily and I sat down and they gave us food. This was even more hilarious because the local Indians just couldn't believe that these 3 American girls were sitting on the floor eating their food with our hands like they do on banana leaves just like they were. It was great and the food was sooo good!
We helped clean up and then met with Steven, a young man who attended Wheaton College for his Masters in Missions, but has returned to India to help continue his dad's orphanage ministry. Steven has an amazing heart for the 2 orphanages that his father has started and great visions on how to continue to better them for the future. We will be working with Steven and his dad in the upcoming days and the team is so thrilled to be a part of their work!
By that point we were feeling the jet lag so the rest of the day was highly uneventful, but praise the Lord much sleep was had. :)
Dec. 23rd
As soon as the boys arrived on the 23rd afternoon we had some lunch and jumped into choosing songs and teaching/learning a funny skit called "The Doctors Office" for Pastor Jacob's ministry at Revival Christian Worship Center (RCWC). This night in particular was a Christmas celebration for kids that come from the area slums. God has been using Mrs. Jacob to do amazing work with these kids. Though they come from Hindu and Muslim families, they have practiced their faith in Jesus Christ within their own homes. Some have even gone and prayed over their parents in time of sickness and have healed them!! How AMAZING is that?! They were all very receptive and joyful to have us their to participate in their program.
Afterward, we had dinner in Pastor Jacob's home which was delicious. Unfortunately, Daniel didn't join us for this night because he had been struggling with sickness these last two weeks, but God was speaking to him and suddenly healed him that afternoon and he's been better ever since!!
Today: Dec. 24th- Happy Christmas Eve!
Today, Kaja (our driver) picked up the girls around 9:30am and we met the boys and John Uncle at Pastor Robert's ministry: Glory to Jesus church. It was out in the "boonies" of India but it was the greatest thing yet! These kids were CRAZY excited when we drove up and showered us with love and welcoming. The kids recited scripture as well and we taught them songs, dances, and presented them with a word of encouragement. I shared 1 Timothy 4:12 with them and encouraged them to rise above society and speak the truth of Jesus Christ. Like RCWC, the children come from Hindu and Muslim families but have gone back, prayed over their family, have healed them, and some have even brought whole families into the church. Praise the Lord, there is such a mighty work in India! This generation that's rising up is going to be a great movement in this country. They are such examples of faith it is astounding.
I asked Pastor Robert's wife why Hindu and Muslim parents let their children just come to these things without hesitation. She said it is because they see Christians as good people and the biblical principles are considered good upbringing. Plus it is a safe place to send their children- so they do! Little do they know, their children's lives and their whole families are en route to be transformed by the power of Christ :)
------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for continuing your prayers over us even when I have left you hanging these last few days! Here is our schedule of events for the next few days for you to pray over since I'm not sure when I will be able to update next:
Dec. 25th
-Christmas service at CLM: 2 testimonies (1 boy, 1 girl) and songs.
Dec. 26th
-Program at Ellis William's church (songs, dances, skits, testimonies)
-John Uncle and I travel to Chennai.
Dec. 27th
-Work in Christopher & Steven's orphanage.
Dec. 28th
-Sunday worship and fellowship w/ RCWC kids and church members.
Dec. 29th
-Serving food at the leper colony :)
Dec. 30th
-Upkeep work around CLM (sanding/re-painting school desks, etc.)
Dec. 31st
-New Year's Eve Service
Jan. 1-3
-Rest days.
Jan. 4th
-Full day of ministry at RCWC
Jan. 5-7
-Full day programs at CLM: games, activities, songs, LOVE. :)
Jan. 8th
-Leave Trichy :(
Jan. 9th
-Back in the US of A :)
Also, some things to specifically pray/praise for:
-Praise God Dan is healed!!
-I had an infection from a recent ear piercing, but Emily, Angela and I prayed over it today and it is healed in Jesus' name! Haha, the minute we finished praying over it, it stopped bleeding!
-Praise God for pouring his Holy Spirit into us once more. :)
-Pray that health, strength, and rest would continue to be ours.
-The Holy Spirit would overwhelm us and every place we go.
-Pray against all schemes satan has and may try. We know the victory is ours.
-We want to see at least one healing take place EVERY DAY! Pray that it will be so.
-For the unity among the team, that we would continue growing together and that nothing would separate us, only bond us closer together.
-Pray for John Uncle and I as we travel back to Chennai on the 26th: that my luggage would be released with ease. Also: my dad is arriving at Chennai airport!!!!! We are believing for safe, smooth travels all the way.
(In case you were wondering, there are many CLM staff members who are taking care of the rest of the team as we travel.)
Hopefully, I'll be able to post again soon and try to get pictures up as well, but technology is pretty limited around here so it may have to wait.
PRAISE THE LORD!!! We love you all and thank God for each one of you! We miss you and are grateful for your constant support. There is proof of your prayers in each day. :)
(As we say here in India) Happy Christmas!!!!
With Love, Sarah.
Ephesians 3:7-8
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me; to preach to the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Getting to the internet has been wayyy harder than any of us thought it would be here. Fortunately, John Uncle brought me over to his place today so that I could update you all after leaving things hanging these last few days.
PRAISE THE LORD!!!
Things here have been so amazing. Angela, Emily and I made the 12 hour flight to Singapore smoothly and had an easy transition on Singapore Air to Chennai-our shortest int'l flight yet: 4 hours :)
We made it through customs and to baggage claim to discover that one of my two suitcases were put on another SingAir flight. They were going to mail it, but when they found I had more than 1 laptop in my possession when traveling (one packed in that suitcase), they chose to confiscate it until we can make the 6 hour drive back to Chennai to fight for it. Thankfully, Angela and Emily have been wonderful enough to let me use their clothes all these days...God found an easy way to pull me out of my comfort zone, that's for sure!
Kyle, Xan, and Daniel arrived at last on the 23rd. They drove thru the night from Chennai and met up with us at CLM around 1pm. Unexpectedly, Kristin took a step out in a different direction and chose to back down from the trip during all the complications with her flights. We all miss her here but know that God has a purpose for her remaining in the states as well as for the team to consist of the 6 of us here in India.
Dec. 22nd
Let me backtrack a little bit.
There's so much to tell! I will try to keep it brief to condense as much information as possible.
We (girls) slept on/off in the drive to Trichy and had our first cultural wake up call when we stopped at a bus rest stop to use the washrooms- these are no where near your typical restrooms, trust me, lol it was great :)
When we arrived in Akilandapuram, the village Christian Love Ministries is located in just outside of Trichy (nearest town), we didn't bother sleeping- we were too excited! Personally, I was overcome with the emotion of being in my late Achie's (grandmother's) home and staying in her room. The minute we walked in there I was so overwhelmed by thoughts of her outstanding life and how I never really processed her death that I burst into tears. Thankfully John Uncle was there to comfort and understand me.
So we stayed up that night and had our first shower in 4 days before the CLM Christmas program at 11am. Our shower isn't a western shower either! It felt so good to be cleaner though.:)
Anyway, we were introduced to the students and parents (all from different backgrounds- mostly Hindu and Muslim families) then sang "Joy to the World" and then we got to sit back and in awe watch the children sing, dance, and recite God's word from memory. It was amazing! An adult couple did a little puppet show and presented the gospel clear and hard...
Afterward, they had a lunch for everyone. You guessed it- this was not a church lunch like we would have in America either! There were mats lined along the floors of the classroom for people to sit down. Each person is given a banana leaf (these are India's paper plates) and were served their food. We tried to help serve, but everyone was just as eager to help and I think we were slowing down the process lol. It was hilarious. Once everyone was fed, Ang, Emily and I sat down and they gave us food. This was even more hilarious because the local Indians just couldn't believe that these 3 American girls were sitting on the floor eating their food with our hands like they do on banana leaves just like they were. It was great and the food was sooo good!
We helped clean up and then met with Steven, a young man who attended Wheaton College for his Masters in Missions, but has returned to India to help continue his dad's orphanage ministry. Steven has an amazing heart for the 2 orphanages that his father has started and great visions on how to continue to better them for the future. We will be working with Steven and his dad in the upcoming days and the team is so thrilled to be a part of their work!
By that point we were feeling the jet lag so the rest of the day was highly uneventful, but praise the Lord much sleep was had. :)
Dec. 23rd
As soon as the boys arrived on the 23rd afternoon we had some lunch and jumped into choosing songs and teaching/learning a funny skit called "The Doctors Office" for Pastor Jacob's ministry at Revival Christian Worship Center (RCWC). This night in particular was a Christmas celebration for kids that come from the area slums. God has been using Mrs. Jacob to do amazing work with these kids. Though they come from Hindu and Muslim families, they have practiced their faith in Jesus Christ within their own homes. Some have even gone and prayed over their parents in time of sickness and have healed them!! How AMAZING is that?! They were all very receptive and joyful to have us their to participate in their program.
Afterward, we had dinner in Pastor Jacob's home which was delicious. Unfortunately, Daniel didn't join us for this night because he had been struggling with sickness these last two weeks, but God was speaking to him and suddenly healed him that afternoon and he's been better ever since!!
Today: Dec. 24th- Happy Christmas Eve!
Today, Kaja (our driver) picked up the girls around 9:30am and we met the boys and John Uncle at Pastor Robert's ministry: Glory to Jesus church. It was out in the "boonies" of India but it was the greatest thing yet! These kids were CRAZY excited when we drove up and showered us with love and welcoming. The kids recited scripture as well and we taught them songs, dances, and presented them with a word of encouragement. I shared 1 Timothy 4:12 with them and encouraged them to rise above society and speak the truth of Jesus Christ. Like RCWC, the children come from Hindu and Muslim families but have gone back, prayed over their family, have healed them, and some have even brought whole families into the church. Praise the Lord, there is such a mighty work in India! This generation that's rising up is going to be a great movement in this country. They are such examples of faith it is astounding.
I asked Pastor Robert's wife why Hindu and Muslim parents let their children just come to these things without hesitation. She said it is because they see Christians as good people and the biblical principles are considered good upbringing. Plus it is a safe place to send their children- so they do! Little do they know, their children's lives and their whole families are en route to be transformed by the power of Christ :)
------------------------------------------------------------
Thank you for continuing your prayers over us even when I have left you hanging these last few days! Here is our schedule of events for the next few days for you to pray over since I'm not sure when I will be able to update next:
Dec. 25th
-Christmas service at CLM: 2 testimonies (1 boy, 1 girl) and songs.
Dec. 26th
-Program at Ellis William's church (songs, dances, skits, testimonies)
-John Uncle and I travel to Chennai.
Dec. 27th
-Work in Christopher & Steven's orphanage.
Dec. 28th
-Sunday worship and fellowship w/ RCWC kids and church members.
Dec. 29th
-Serving food at the leper colony :)
Dec. 30th
-Upkeep work around CLM (sanding/re-painting school desks, etc.)
Dec. 31st
-New Year's Eve Service
Jan. 1-3
-Rest days.
Jan. 4th
-Full day of ministry at RCWC
Jan. 5-7
-Full day programs at CLM: games, activities, songs, LOVE. :)
Jan. 8th
-Leave Trichy :(
Jan. 9th
-Back in the US of A :)
Also, some things to specifically pray/praise for:
-Praise God Dan is healed!!
-I had an infection from a recent ear piercing, but Emily, Angela and I prayed over it today and it is healed in Jesus' name! Haha, the minute we finished praying over it, it stopped bleeding!
-Praise God for pouring his Holy Spirit into us once more. :)
-Pray that health, strength, and rest would continue to be ours.
-The Holy Spirit would overwhelm us and every place we go.
-Pray against all schemes satan has and may try. We know the victory is ours.
-We want to see at least one healing take place EVERY DAY! Pray that it will be so.
-For the unity among the team, that we would continue growing together and that nothing would separate us, only bond us closer together.
-Pray for John Uncle and I as we travel back to Chennai on the 26th: that my luggage would be released with ease. Also: my dad is arriving at Chennai airport!!!!! We are believing for safe, smooth travels all the way.
(In case you were wondering, there are many CLM staff members who are taking care of the rest of the team as we travel.)
Hopefully, I'll be able to post again soon and try to get pictures up as well, but technology is pretty limited around here so it may have to wait.
PRAISE THE LORD!!! We love you all and thank God for each one of you! We miss you and are grateful for your constant support. There is proof of your prayers in each day. :)
(As we say here in India) Happy Christmas!!!!
With Love, Sarah.
Ephesians 3:7-8
I became a servant of this gospel by the gift of God's grace given me through the working of His power. Although I am less than the least of all God's people, this grace was given me; to preach to the gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ.
Saturday, December 20, 2008
4000 Miles From Home: Just The 3 of Us
There's Angela and Emily taking naps :) I've never been so envious....
Thanks to Boingo, my 24 hour wireless subscription works in Paris too!
Poor Dan made it all the way to JFK while we were still boarding the flight, but they wouldn't let him check in.
What's worse is that they delayed us another hour and a half because some other passenger was "missing" or something.
All the while, Dan was only a hop, skip and a jump away. :-/
But Ang, Em and I made it to Paris around 10:45am.
We missed our 10:25am flight to Chennai because of the delay.
If we stayed in Paris til the next direct flight it would be 2 nights here-which would be SWEET!!-except AirFrance would only accommodate us for one night. Lame...
Sooo, we're flying to Singapore at 11:15pm (aka 2315) tonight and then coming back up to Chennai.
Dan slept in JFK, has a hotel tonight and will fly out the following day.
I haven't heard from Kristin or the Paxtons yet, but they are all in Nashville as far as I know.
It is currently 9:00AM in Chicago/Nashville and almost 4:00pm here in Paris.
This is crazy.
But God is GOOD and we will get there soon!
Sheesh. :)
Pray we don't get caught in Singapore for any reason, it's an 11 hour flight as it is. lol
God's doing a great job of teaching us trust, patience and flexibility....
We're really just trying to put our faith in Him and see how things play out.
I have no clue how all of this is going to end up.
But no worries, it'll all work out for good...
Sleep would be great right now cuz I'm getting kind of dizzy.
I can only imagine what the rest of the trip is going to be like, us 3 girls have been joking about seeing all 7 continents before we make it to Chennai :-P
Man, through all of this, I can feel God using these circumstances to push the selfishness out of me...
It's the same feeling as fasting... that sense of cleanliness after your body becomes detoxified from the junk you ate yesterday.
Know what I mean?
I would go way more in depth if I had the brain power...
There will be better news to come :)
Special thanks to Nikki Faye for being a servant and encourager :)
The verses you wrote in my Christmas card have been building me up so much.
Here's one to leave you all with (it has certainly related to our current situation):
"God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. 'For in him we live and move and have our being.' As some of your own poets have said, 'we are his offspring.'"
~Acts 17:27-28
Gooood NIGHT! kind of.
I cannot wait to see all of your wonderful faces again w/ lots of stories in tow. :)
Friday, December 19, 2008
Just a little helper. :)
In case you were wondering (based off of central time):
Manhattan: 1 hour ahead
Paris: 7 hours ahead
Trichy: 11 hours ahead.
Manhattan: 1 hour ahead
Paris: 7 hours ahead
Trichy: 11 hours ahead.
Manhattan.
Wow.
I need to be honest, this day has been significantly more complicated than I had ever hoped it would be. I took a 7am flight to JFK this morning and have been hanging around here ever since. The weather here in New York has made it difficult for the rest of the team to get here at their planned arrival. Thankfully, Angela & Emily made it here just a little while ago. Dan is on his way up. Our main concern right now is trying to find alternative means for Kyle, Xan, and Kristin whose flights have been cancelled in Nashville and Raleigh. And ultimately, it would be best if our international flight was delayed even up till tomorrow for the sake of getting everyone here and on board without the issue of extra charges or changed flights.
Even in the days leading up to this trip we began to see difficulties arising. But you know the greatest thing has been seeing how they all work out amidst the chaos.
I have no clue how this is going to work out...
But I know it will. And it will be the best.
Oh Lord.... what an experience! And it's only day one!!!
Pray. Pray. Pray. :)
You guys are amazing!!!
Our God is even more :)
His,
Sarah
((PS>> If you know anyone else who is interested in keeping up with this blog let me know so I can add them to who can view this site cuz it isn't open to the public. Sweet. I wanna go get some starbucks...lol))
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