Where to begin...

Hello everyone-


I'm sorry that is has been so long since I have posted. I was sick for a good 3-4 days and I had a really bad attitude, so I thought that probably wasn't the best time to write a blog post. I was blaming South Asia for a lot of things that probably weren't South Asia's fault...it may have been though.


These past two weeks have FLOWN. I'll try to catch you up to speed, then tell you some thoughts that I have been challenged with. 


Last week was my first cricket match! Oh. My Gosh. It was incredible. It took me at least two hours to even begin to understand what was happening before my very eyes, but once the guys from the office were kind enough to walk me through the game, I fell in love with the sport. As most of you all know, this isn't a difficult task to fulfill. If it's competitive, I'm probably going to enjoy it. The cricket stadium was the most at home I have felt outside of my apartment...kind of. Let me explain. South Asia is in no way organized and there is usually mass chaos. In the Cricket stadium everyone was sitting down and had one common purpose....to cheer the Super Kings on to victory. It was just comforting to be with thousands of people that were all focused on one thing AND there were no horns honking in the stadium. If I haven't said this already, there are ALWAYS horns. Always. Don't worry, I'm not hating on the chaos, I'm usually amused by it, but it was very enjoyable to get a break in the Cricket stadium.

The cricket stadium

My new friends in our Super Kings Jerseys :-)

As I am approaching my 3 week mark tomorrow, it is awesome to see how far I have come in 3 weeks. I can now ride autos alone...this is a huge feat. Last weekend I had to go to the gym alone in an auto and I had to say a long prayer before I got in. I was being a bit of a wimp, but I was scared that I would get a mean auto driver that would just drive me out into the middle of nowhere and drop me off (that doesn't really happen here). Thankfully, that didn't happen and I made it to the gym with ease. GO RACHEL! Aside from riding in the auto by myself and proving some independence, I'm looking back at these 3 weeks thankful for the sweet friendships that are forming. I have been blessed way more than I could have imagined by the people at my work. I know I have said this, but I am so challenged by their ability to encourage and love others. Each day I thank God for putting me in such a positive work environment where people are 1.) Passionate for the Lord 2.) Passionate about caring for people and 3.) Passionate about their work. It is infectious. 

This is an auto...and some stinkin cute kids.

The past few weeks have been really challenging for me in the sense that I am having a difficult time processing the poverty here. I see need everywhere. I am in contact with beggars every single day singling me out to say they have a need. I have people sleeping on my sidewalk outside my apartment. While I have been exposed to poverty throughout my life, this is closer to home...literally. I am broken more each day and am challenged by the response Jesus calls me to have. I have been reading through different passages in the Bible about poverty and this is what I've found:


Luke 6:27-31


"but to you who are listening I say: Love you enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you."


I read this passage in Estonia this summer, but have been reminded of it during the past few weeks. It would probably be more comfortable to ignore this command, but I can't. GIVE TO EVERYONE WHO ASKS YOU. Jesus knew how big of a challenge this would be for believers, but he still commanded this of us. I did some research and this verse is in reference to poverty. What challenges me about this verse is that when someone asks for money my thoughts are "well, what if they use it to buy drugs" or "what if they aren't really in need?" I have all these excuses in my head. Unfortunately, Jesus doesn't say "Give to everyone who asks you...unless they look like a drug addict." 


Matthew 5:42 is the same story..."give to the one who asks you." 


All this goes to say that I have been praying through how to wisely respond to the need around me. If they ask...I will give. The question is what do I give? How much do I give? Food or 5 rupees?  If any of you have any advice or wisdom on this subject...or really any subjects, I would love to hear it. This is just something that has consistently been on my heart.

I will finish with something that I really like about South Asia. That something is that not only are there many stray dogs here, but there are also many stray cows and goats. There is something really amusing about turning a street corner and just seeing a cow roaming around. No owner. No rope collar. Nothing. It's a STRAY cow. Imagine seeing stray cows walking around South Tulsa. Yeah right...well I guess that's kind of possible. Picture it in NYC instead, that's definitely more fun.


One more random thought. Yesterday my roommate saw two men on a motorcycle and one had a washing machine over his head. Yep, just let that one sink in. It happened.


Here are some random pictures of the city and of the market we went to a few weeks ago.

A sad bull.

The market we went to a few weeks ago...it was awesome and crazy at the same time.

I went to the beach today...it was beautiful.

My first week...

Hello everybody! I have now been in South Asia for over week, which is crazy! It has been a good week, but quite the adjustment. Life here is just much different than anything I have encountered before...in a good way. For instance the decorations. Let me give you a taste of some pretty awesome decorations. 

I'm kidding... while the decorations are special, there are many differences that are much more obvious. For example: the horns never stop honking, my room usually smells like curry, and there are people that sleep on the street that I live on. This new culture is a constant adventure and I never know what I may encounter when I leave my apartment. Speaking of my apartment let me show you around.

My cute little room! Be sure to notice the frog hamper in the corner (it's a proud purchase I made at the bazaar).

My lovely bathroom...I just figured you were a little curious. Am I right?

Living room. If you are wondering the fabric on the couches/chairs is indeed velvet.  We will be hanging things on our wall very soon. We just have to find those things.

Our stove :-)

The kitchen.

Laundry room! Whoop whoop. See my editing?

And the dining room.

 My apartment is pretty wonderful. My roommates are awesome and have made the transition so much easier than it could have been without them. I will post pictures of them as soon as I have them in 
possession. The icing on top of the cake is that we are a 5 minute walk from the office. It is so convenient!

Before I ramble for much longer than needed, let me tell you one of the weirdest sights I have seen thus far. I was on the way to the dentist with my roommate, Kyleigh, the other day (she had to get her wisdom teeth out two weeks ago) and we saw a man riding his bicycle. The weird part about this is that he had child sleeping on the wheel well of his back tire and he had another child who he had connected to a leash running behind the bike. I hope you truly try to imagine this image in your head, because it was WEIRD. I was thinking "well that's one way of keeping track of your children...or setting them up for some road rash." Random story, I know.

Just in case you were curious, I AM going to a cricket match tomorrow. I can't even imagine what this experience will look like, but I know it will be an adventure. Leaving the apartment always is.

I hope all is well for those of you back in the homeland! I think and pray for many of you often. I also hope my blog wasn't too much of a bore for you...