Holi, motorcycles, Schools, and NEW FRIENDS

Hello everyone! These last few weeks have been pretty cool! Here in South Asia as Spring time comes they celebrate Holi. Holi is a Hindu holiday thats about their mythology of good triumphing over evil. The adults do a lot of pujas (worship to idols) however the kids have all the fun. Here's a link for a site that tells a lot about what happens it was really helpful in giving me an idea of what to expect and what it really about. http://www.holifestival.org/holi-festival.html

So Holi is on Wednesday but starting monday the kids go crazy. The kids do Holi where its more of a secular holiday. The way the kids do it is by getting waterguns, pipes that pump water in them and shoot people with it, also they play with colored power and colored water. So its about getting anyone and everyone wet and colored in colors.

It reminds me of Fiesta in Santa Barbara, California. I spent a lot of time in Sanata Barbara as a kid visiting my mom's family and during August there's this big Mexican part all over town where egg shells are filled with confetti that you break on people's heads or throw at people.

Well back to Holi....on Monday I went to sub-city in my Mega city. I went to visit my Behen Gita (sister) her Mom is my Mommi from the village. So I told the auto driver where I was going and he dropped me off at what he said was the right place. I was told to call my Byya (Akosh) when I arrived so I called byaa and told him i was there somewhere. Well as it turned out the auto driver dropped me off in the wrong place so after waiting some time byaa showed up......ON A MOTORCYCLE! It was so FUN! My family doesn't own a car or motorcycle so i think it was one of his friends. Anyhow, so i got to ride on a motorcycle. A few weeks ago a guy offered me a ride to where I was going on his motorcycle but because I didn't know him and I'm a white girl I thought it was probably a bad idea no matter how bad i needed a ride. I was kinda bumbed out because I really wanted to ride one. SO the Father brought me the best chance. It's okay to ride with him because he's my brother. So I hopped on the back as soon as he said, "can you ride? Will it be okay?" It was pretty darn fun! Here the women sit all sidesaddle, so I sat sidesaddle and held on for life to the cycle. It was a blast weaving in and out, Byaa was really happy to show me his driving skills. You should have seen the faces of the people on the side of the street watching a white girl fly past. (Okay mom dont worry, I'm okay. I know you never wanted any of us kids to ride on motorcycles but it was SOOO fun and it wont happen often so all is good....trust in the Father and pray)

After the fun ride on the bike byaa dropped me off at Gita's house and then drove off. At Gita's house I was greeted by the cutest little niece in the world Brenna. She is like 7 and served me a cold lemon soda as we waited for Dede (sister) Gita to come. AS we waited another guest arrived to my suprise is was no other than.......MOMMI. I was really happy to see her it was such a nice suprise I had seen her the day before but always miss her, papa and byaa. So we all sat there and had some sweets, that were amazing and only come out during holidays. Believers take part in Holi too but they take part in it from a secular stand point just playing with colors, welcoming Spring, and wishing everyone a good year. Later Byaa and Giga-G (brother-in-law) came home too! So we made water balloons and threw them at eachother all day, squirted each other, and threw buckets of water at each other. IT WAS A BLAST TO GET TO SPEND THAT SPECIAL TIME WITH MY FAMILY. The neighbor kids also threw balloons at us as we threw them pack. Another really great part of Holi is you can throw water ballloons at anyone and it's okay. Gita's house is on the fourth floor of an apartment complex with narrow allies and stuff. So i stood on the veranda and threw balloons at ANYONE that walked by. They would look up and see this white girl laughing and then have a look of shock as yelled down, "HAPPY HOLI!" It was funny byaa was rolling he was laughing so hard. After the waters were put away they look out the colored powders. Sister told me to get Giga-G (brother-in-law) really good. So i took a big hand full of what feels like babypowder but is BRIGHT BRIGHT PINK and put it on Giga-G's head and shirt. He looked really funny, everyone was laughing I guess usually he's the jokester. Then mommi came around and put a thumb line of pik on all her kids (including me) and grandkids foreheads as a Holi blessing of Spring. After that Giga-G got me good. I was alll bright pink. My hair, my face, my shirt, my purse, my eyelashes, my mouth. It was funny then byaa came up to me with wet hands and more powder and smeared more on my side of my face and gave a satisfied, "Oh wait, wait.......okay thats better!" It was funny. Alicia the littlest neice was fun to play with we'd get Byaa and Giga-G. Gita and mommi stayed inside away from the mess.

When I went home that night and got cleaned up the water in my shower was BRIGHT PINK for a really long time. It took sometime to get all the powder out. It was really cool to see water that pink. The next day i sat on my veranda (my flat is on the second floor) and threw balloons at kids that walked by. When they saw i threw the balloon they started to throw them back. There were a group of men sitting on the corner across from my house watching. They work for my landlord, they would signal to me when people were coming that i could throw balloons at.

On Wednesday the actual day of Holi i stayed inside. I already had my Holi fun with my family and the neighbor hood kids and decided to play it low. So I bought a movie off of I-tunes, listened to a Francis Chan sermon on-line podcast, read the Word, talked with the Father, and kneeled for awhile. It was a great day of relaxing. The rest of the week flew by.

This week I have talked with a Non-Government Organization (NGO) about helping teach English in their schools. It was really fun, I had dinner with this great woman Rachel and her husband Danny. Rachel's from the UK and her hubby is from around here. It was great to talk with them and get some ideas about doing Bibl* stories through ESL in a school. The schools is located outside of the mega city in the slums close to where I did my homestay. I start next week going on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Please kneel for the Father to prepair a way for me there and guide me to follow his leadership of what's best.

This week i made some friends in the neighbor hood where my flat is! I've been kneeling for freinds here for a really long time now. I've met people but no one that's really wanted to spend time with an American learning their language. However I met this really cool older lady that has a shop near my house. After we were talking in my new language for a little while she said she could help teach me Hindi. Having two people help with language is really great. So she is my second tutor, when I went to her house to do Hindi her grand-daughter was there. Her grand-daughter speaks great English but more importantly teaches the local language really well. So her grad-daughter helped me with a language lesson. It was great! So through a language tutor now I have a new family of friends. Thanks for all your kneeling for me these last few weeks on finding friends here. I've found more and more ladies to talk to in my neighbor hood and tell Bibl* stories to. It's been a really blessing and an answer to my kneeling and all of yours! We serve and amazing Father.

Here are some really needed kneelings! This week I recieved some really hard news. The pastor of the fellowship I worked at in Florida last summer. His wife is sick! I not only worked with him and his wife but I also lived with them part of the summer. They have become like Floridian parents to me (even though they're from California) it breaks my heart to not be there with them in all of this or even be there to help out in any way I can. However I know the best way to help is through kneeling. PLEASE PLEASE KNEEL FOR JEN AND ANDY! Also some famliy friends in Half Moon Bay lost a husband/father this past week, it just a really hard situation. There are kids involved and a grieving wife they are believers and really should be lifted up in this hard time.

Thanks all! Blessing and love Sarah!

Pictures of the Himalayas

Here are the links to the pictures of the Himalayas!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026270&id=79801779&l=c9ff9

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2026273&id=79801779&l=a98bf

Europe In the Hills

Greetings!
So I have some fun news to tell everyone! I went to the Himalayas! It was a blast, it is so amazing there. My best friend lives just at the foothills of them and I went to visit her. I spent tons of time on a train so i could spend all day and all night Friday with her. We met at OBU (my college) the first week of shool and over the next three years she was there we became as close as sisters. So needless to say we had a total blast hanging out and laughing all day. This little trip all started on Thursday. I took the 3pm train from my city and got to her's at 9:30. We hung out and slept to prepair for the big day waiting for us.
When morning came I got to shower right before their water tank was empty (what a blessing). We had coffee and chatted for hours about friends, our family, how stuff has been going in South Asia, theology, JC and the Father and her wedding! She's getting married in October so there was lots of fun covos about that! When we finshed coffee we walked back to her house on the walk home her fiance called. I love Michael he's a pretty cool guy, it was fun to get to chat with him a little and them she how happy her face was to be talking to him. After the walk back to her house we had lunch with this amazing woman, her husband and kids. She is an OBU grad as well, she is so sweet and her kids are a blast to chill with. The meeting was no complete without a little ka-rip! Ka-rip is OBU's special go to chant!

Ka-rip Ka-rap Ka-riplo typlo tap
Oh! Oh!
Rincto lincto hio-totimusHopula scipula copula gotimus
Chink-to-lack Chink-to-leeKa-willa, Ka-walla, Ka Victory
Oh! Oh!
Hoogula choogula choogula can.Ragula tagula melican man
Let'er go rip, let'er go ruse
Tingula Tangula, turn'em a-loose
Zip! Bang! OBU!

Poor Gimpy even though we went to school together she's just not as cool as me and doesn't know ka-rip all the way through. SAD DAY :(

So after an AMAZING LUNCH! We got in a taxi and headed for........the HIMALAYAS!!!!!
Pretty darn sure I never thought I ever be going to South Asia and especially never the Himalayas. They are amazing! I've seen tons of mountains and mountain ranges before but this one is like totally different. It's nothing like the Mountain range in Half Moon Bay, Mount Arrow Head (So Cal), the Rockies, the Appalachians, The Witchitas (Oklahoma) or the mountains of Thailand. The city we went to was founded after a town in Wales. The city looked really European like around 1930. It was amazing! It didn't feel like we were in South Asia, it was a little oasis and vacation. We went shoe shopping i got the most adorable shoes for really cheap and can't wait to wear them. I bought a throw for my couch so my roommate could have something from there too. I ate AMAZING pancakes with bananas in them. This little village was really small, but it had the most amazing things! In this tiny shop they had STARBUCKS FRAP cold Coffee!!!!!! It was great, they had Kraft B-BQ sauce, Kraft Blue Cheese Dressing, Skippy Peanutbutter with honey, and tons of American food. I cant tell you what a suprise it was! I also found Jolley Ranchers!!!!!!!!!!!!! They were selling them at the place I ate pancakes, they are AMAZING. They are Jolley Rancher lollipops. The day was one of the best I've had in South Asia. It was a day of great joy. Being with her helped to give me more energy and get refreshed at the same time. My heart was so overfilled.
We were both really sad to have to come down the mountain. We named it Mount Horeb (Sinai) the Father brought us great joy. The Emprise goes on! We were mere steps away from Tibet!!!! (Millions-Thousands yes but still steps) I could see Tibet! The people on the mountain did not act like people in Gimpy's city or mine. People groups are different all over this region its pretty amazing and reallly nice to get to see new ones. I hope you all enjoy the pics! I'll also put some on Facebook and put the link in here so you can go see them even if you dont have facebook.
When you kneel for me, please thank the Father for me! He really brought me more joy in my heart than is possible to write, say or even put into words. Its one of those groaning of the heart things. Only he truely knows how much joy he brought me, I cant even put it into words. Being with a close friend and having a fun day was a true blessing. Please pray for Gimpy tooo!!!

So I came home to my city on the 5 am train, it arrived around 11:30 am so today has been a day of resting and prep for going to visit the village tomorrow YAYYYY! Four amazing days in a row. I've already contacted my good girl pals in the village and can't wait to see them. Please be kneeling for me as we grow in our friendships and please pray for the words to speak the Truth over their lives and tell the wonders of JC and having a relationship with him.

My New Place!!!!

Greetings! My final week in the homestay was amazing. I felt like I was getting the language down more and really enjoyed spending time with my village family. They are amazing people. I had some fun experiences playing badminton with my Byaa and with a 10 year old names Pinky. Pinky was actually really good so it was a lot of fun to get to know a sweet little girl. So far the only girls I know are closer to my age besides my little sister Elyon.
I wore a sari it was bright yellow and all decked out in sparkles. It's funny things that in the US would be deamed freak like to wear are totally cool here. I love all the bright colors and all the mixing of colors and patterns. I have been taking advantage of all of it. Getting into the Sari was a task let me tell you! You wear like a little skirt/slip pettie coat under it so your undies are covered and taken care of and then they put you in this scary tiny top. But thank goodness the Sari covers like jut about your entier side so not much skin besides your arms show. I got to take a taxi ride with Mommi, Byaa and my friend/language tutor to go see my sister Gita. Gita is one of Mommi's 6 daughters she is the only daughter that lives close by. She lives a few sub-cities over. Visiting her was a blast, she has two adorable children and is a sweet sister in the Lord. She taught me some Hinid songs that believers here sing and she also knew some English believer songs. It was a great day. The week flew by so before I knew it I was moving out and headed to my new flat to get settled. It was a little sad to be moving out but I was really looking forward to setting my flat up. I think it also helped to know that I will be seeing them every Sunday when I go out to the village for fellowship.
So last Monday as soon as i got back to the big city I called a taxi and moved my three bags to my flat. My flat had already had the big items moved into it before I got there. So my fridge, oven, cook top, couch, dinning table, bed, washing machine, drying rack, towels & curtains were all waiting for me.
The first thing I did on Monday was get the internet set up, I had been told that once some people put in an application it can take anywhere from 30-60 days to have them come and get it going. Thank goodness they came two days after I called to set it up. Then on Tuesday I moved all my belongings into my room and got it set up and looking good. I had my landlord's cleaning lady come and help me with the floors. Since there is tons and tons of dirt in SouthAsia once you walk on your floors your feet turn a nasty shade of black. The floors need to be cleaned a minimum of three days a week. Cleaning the floors takes like 2 hours and since it's all marble there's a specific way they are cleaned. So I also hired her to clean my floors the minimum. Once she got the house all shiny and neat I cleaned the kitchen of all the black dirt that it had accumilated in the cabnets, drawers, counter tops, and shelves. It was an all day thing, who would have thought! Last week I also found where I will be buying veggies, fruit, all my dairy products, cleaning items, and MEAT. Now that I can choose what can of meat I eat I am a carnivore once again.

(While living in my homestay my papa asked me what kinds of meat I eat so I told him lots of chicken because even though they are believers they still dont eat beef). So when I thought of chicken I thought at worst there's going to be bones and that cool because I LOVE CHICKEN. Well when Papa came home from the market he had a bag full of chicken feet and chicken innards. YUMMMY!!!!!!!! yeah NOT)
So after that experience I decided to become a all veg eater (it's really common over here)

Since I've been in my new place I live alone 5 out of 7 nights because my roomate is doing a 12 week homestay. So being the massive extrovert I am I am making friends all over the place to make up for the lack of contact with people in my home. Growing up in a house hold of six people and living very close to my large extended family being alone is somewhat of a foreign concept. To my suprise I am doing way better than I thought I would. We have a Father that is a constant companion and the closest of friends.

a little note: the last few days I've had HORRIBLE luck with auto-rickshaw drivers. I've learned to go up in my price barganing but man oh man my patience have been tried. I've been ripped off a lot lately. I know as a foriegner thats to be expected but the other day what should have cost me 130 to 140 in my local currency ended up costing 170 and that was with the help of my papa. The rickshaw driver wanted 200 which I told him was not going to happen and was an unfair price. Once my I went and got my Papa he kinda was confronted my someone who knew he was ripping me off and Papa helped me. But here's where the Father was great to me today! I went to get a rickshaw to a market a little ways away and I was offered a really fair price and he said he would wait for me and give me a ride back to the place be picked me up at which is super close to my flat. He was a really nice driver, but not like creepy or overly nice(which is seen as flirting in this culture), he was just a stand up person. He made my day better and has raised my hopes for finding good auto rickshaw drivers

A great week!

Hellllloooo everyone!!!!! So this past week was pretty crazy cool!

The week started with little sister running up to me and saying, "DEDE! DEDE!" It was a nice welcome home! On Friday I saw my teammates and then they came home with my Mommi and me. It was really fun, we got to dance with people for a wedding. All Bollywood style it was really funny. My friend S was kind of showing us how to dance. It was sooo fun!!!! They music was just a guy playing a big drum and hitting it with this crazy looking stick. It was pretty fun stuff, I wish you all could have been there to see it.

My neighbors have Mario Brothers!!!! : ) it's pretty cool we get to hang out and I practice my language with them, they practice their English, and we play Mario. It's great relationship building. It's pretty funny the things people don't have and the things they do (the things that supprise me are the TV's, video games, & Olay face cream). This week I learned how to sew beeds onto my dupata (scarf like thing that signifies a woman's virtue) my Papa said I could earn lots of money in this country. So now my dupata is all blinged out, it's pretty great!

I also was able to venture off to the market with my friend and her auntie. It was great, we went to the hair stylist (which was pretty sketchy looking). Auntie got her eyebrows done (by way of sewing string) it was pretty cool to see. She only payed like $00.12 cents it was pretty neat. Then my friend got her hair cut, they cut off what looked like a centemeter and she paid like $5. Then we went bangle shopping it was neat I got pink and white ones. I got to visit with my two littl name sake puppies. Puja the bunny died last week it was sad.

Elyon's Mom, Dad and little brother came to visit. They live really far away so it was great to see them and meet Elyon's mom and dad. It turns out Elyon's name is Greek for (God came down.....or something). Her dad went to seminary it was great to try and talk to him (try is the word........ language is rough man!). Aside from the fun family visit Elyon went home with her mom and dad. I was really sad, she was my little side-kick. We did tons of stuff together, we listened to my i-pod, play with my recorder, helped me learn the names of animals, and the body. We also would skip down the street and play hand clapping games, she's a pretty cool chica. So needless to say I was really sad to see her go but I'm going to go visit her with Mommi and Byaa next month.

It was a good week, a few weeks ago the highlight was watching squirrels eat cow poop.

I also got to tell my friend what I learned about in church that was cool. So we talked about the woman anointing JC's feet and the parable of the talents. It was sooo cool! Please be kneeling for S, she's a great friend and I love getting to know her. Please kneel that the Lord would be tugging at her heart and that I would be his tool.

Next week is my last week doing the homestay, I'm really going to miss my family! I have come to really enjoy being with them and miss them on my days out. Please be kneeling for a great final week in. Once I finish the homestay I'll be in my apartment solo 5 out of 7 days which is coool but could be lonely. Please be kneeling for the Lord to be setting up frienships with people that will live near my flat. Also kneel for S and our freinship to continue even when I'm not there are much.

K love ya'll Sarah

To View Pictures!

Hey everyone I added pictures and here's the link to get to them
http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2025650&l=54263&id=79801779
If you click on the pictures you can view them one by one and with comments/notes about what's going on in each picture. Also if you see the small picture and put your mouse on top of the picture the little comment will show.
: ) hope you love them! Sarah

A few Days Shy of the 1st Month!!!!

Hey Everyone! Greetings from South Asia!
So the time has flown by! The fist two weeks in my homestay have been AMAZING! I know that was something I've had all of you praying for, so thank you, thank you, thank you! My Family in the village are so amazing! They are followers of the Way and really love out Father. There have been some funny things that have taken place in the two weeks.
First I was a little sick when Imoved out there with some stomach issues sooo I decided I would skip dinner. My papa (dad in the homestay) was a little worried but I told him going to sleep would probably help. I really didn't want to go into what was wrong because it would have been really embarrassing and the language barrier was an issue. So as I was in bed trying to get some sleep and then my little sister (Ellyon) comes in. She is so cute, she doesn't speak much Enlgish but she just crawled up onto the bed and sat next to me and started praying over me. When she prays it's the cutest and most amazing thing to hear. She really know how to talk to the Father and with her whole heart and she's only 6!
So she came in and them Papa and brother came into the room with the pastor, then they all decided to pray for me. I told them it was just a stomach thing and wasnt such a big deal. But once again that didn't translate and prayer is prayer right! Take what you can get. It was just really funny to not be feeling that well and just want to get away and then you have just about the entier family in your room.
As the week went on I started to feel more and more at home. One afternoon I decided I would go take a nap downs stairs in my room but Mommi (Mommy) said I could not go down stairs because I would be alone and that might not be good (this is all what I picked up through the little amount of language I knew and gestures. So she said I could stay in the main room/really only room of the house and take a nap. In her bed/cot with her and little sister. It was funny but a good ice breaker at the same time. I knew the home stay would be an adventure and would get me more out of my box. I am a person who usually needs a fair amount of personal space but since being here you take what you can get. In all reality things that I used to really care about back in the States are starting to fade-away ( i.e. Peronsonal space, food likes and dislikes, germ-aphobia, and the need for a shower/splash bath everyday. Now it has come to where a great highlight is the days I get to bathe!!!! You see I don't want my family to think I'm more high-maintenance than what is absolutely necessary : )
My language tutor is amazing! I just love her! She is a sweet sister in the Way and a true encourager, I think she's going to be a good friend to have. She has been teaching me all the basics. First I learned the basics: greetings, how to buy fruit, how to get an auto rickshaw, counting, fruit names and veggie names, family member's names, and I learned two stories! : ) the first story is when JC calms the storm and the second is the plan of salvation.
I've had the chance to tell my whole family JC calms the storm story and they've helped me with pronunciation. I then went out and told the kids that live on my block (I used pictures too so that if I did say a word wrong they would get the basic idea).
I had a chance to share the Plan with someone. There was a group of us there and a national follower who really explained everything to the man much more in full. And he came to JC!!!!
It was totally amazing! Be praying for him as he does not live near any other followers that he knows of.

I would love to tell all of you about playing badminton. One night my Byaa (brother) had just come home from playing badminton with some friends I really wanted to play. I've noticed in this culture girls don't really play many sports but I've been itching to get more active. So I told him I played tennis in the states and has play badminton a few times and would love to play sometime. Byaa decided that we would just go play right then in front of the house it was so fun. The all the kids started coming out of their houses and watching and then playing too. The best was this little guy name Raj (his name means King in Hindi). Raj is paralized from the waist down and drags his leggs behind him but I thought I would really love to see him hit. From dragging himself around all day he must have some strong arms and great hand eye coordination so he played. He was stinking amazing! He has the most amazing smile! It was such a joy to play with him and see the other kids play with him too.

This past week I signed a lease on a great flat. I will be sharing with another girl. It's on the second floor of a three floor house. Each floor of the house is like it's own apartment. I will post pictures once we get it clean and move in. The landlord is sooo sweet. He's just so adorable, he's in his 80's. We were told to call him daddy-g (g is a sign of honor and respect at the end of a name). When we were there to sign the lease their entier family came over. Two daughters, a son-in-law, and a granddaughter. It has big trees around it that amazing bird live in, Daddy-G feeds them on the first floor so they hang around the flat a lot. They bring a peaceful feeling to the place.

Well my mind is feeling a little scrambled so I probably should head out. Thanks again everyone I hope you love the pictures!

10 days in

Hey Everyone!

The first week in country has been amazing! I've been getting introduced to my new home and have had a blast checking it all out. I've made some pretty cool freindships already and have had a chance to Story from The Book yesterday. My teammates and I went to a school in the East section of out Mega-city. The East section is very poor and a lot of people have relocated there because the government destroyed their houses for being on goverment property. The Non-Government Organization that introduced us to the school is really amazing. They have a community outreach that works with women in the community and children. It's really amazing! We're not sure if we'll be teaming up with them to work long term yet......we should know pretty soon. Please be kneeling for my team's leadership in who/where we should work.

Since arriving in South Asia I've been in a 10 day South Asia cultural training with 14 other people that are new to South Asia as well. It's been pretty cool stuff. We finish up training tomorrow. On Wednesday I move into my home stay. They will know no/little English. The Home Stay is three weeks long and should be an adeventure. My boss has described it with exciting terms like Rustic. In other words it will be like camping! Please pray for my while I adjust. I haven't been sick yet but it's needed to get used to the new bacteria.

Love you all lots, Sarah

I Made it!

Hey everyone!
I arrived in South Asia and love it! I've been here now three days. This has been my first chance to get online. Lets just say jet lag has been running its course, ha. Yesterday I went to bed at 5pm and got up around 7 am, it was wonderful. I've been shopping and got some fun cultural clothes. I've made some cool national freinds that I hope to get together with for coffee in the next few days. The food is amazing! I love it! The weather has been really mild in the 60's and up. Please be kneeling for me as I seek out language tutors and for me to be intentional and follow Dad in who He's calling me to build relationships with. You guys are such a blessings, thank you for kneeling and encouraging me. Please kneel for the people of South Asia!
Love lots, Sarah

HeyEveryone! So these last few weeks I have done A LOT of driving. The drive from Virginia to Alabama was pretty cool. I actually found out why the Misty Mountains were called the Misty Mountains. I think they should change the name to REALLY winding road, ZERO VIZABILITY, and scary mountain to attempt to stay on. It was really an adventure. Growing up in Northern California I thought I knew all about thick fog, lol.
A funny thing I saw while driving was a brown SUV dressed up like a reindeer that even had a red nose, I thought Buddy the Elf from Elf would have liked it. When I was driving in North-Western Oklahoma I saw a very peculiar sign on the side of the road. Hitch Hickers Might may be Escaping inmates, it was a true highlight.
The next day while leade North Western Oklahoma an entier flock of small birds flew inot the side of my car. There was nothing I could do but watch puffs of feathers fly off my cars one by one, it was really sad. TumbleWeeds blow like crazy on the windy roads. They come in all sizes, each time one would come rolling towards my car at high speeds I would brace for their impact. Each tumble weed hitting my car would turn out to be nothing, it was really funny after like the 20th hit.
The adventure continued while driving into Flagstaff there were spots of snow on the ground. I thought it was pretty then I got closer to Flagstaff and flakes turned into what looked like a whiteout effect. As I got to Flagstaff it changed into a winter storm. Getting out was a little challenging but let me tell you, the Father was with me as we drove on in the adventure. Feeling totally isolated yet held in His hands was a little taste of what living overseas might be like and the kind of trust I will continue to give Him.
The driving hasn't stop since arriving to Half Moon Bay. Visiting family in Santa Barbara, and experiencing Disneyland with my littlest cousin..... really a blessing. There's a ride in Fantasy Land made to be like themovie Peter Pan. As Nathaniel (littlest cousin), Teal (cousin) and I flew over London in a pirate ship and followed the 2nd star from the right to Neverland there were hundreds of lights "stars". It reminded me that the Father knows every star by name, it was such a bleesing to talk with Nate about the Fathers love for him.
While In Southern California i visited Vista and Oak Hills(a group of brothers and sisters in C that i worked wih a year 1/2 ago. It was a rich blessing to have fellowship with them.


Stay tuned, one week from today I'll take off for South Asia :)

December/January Knee Bending

Hey there everyone! Happy holidays! I hope all of you had an amazing Christmas. It’s such a wonderful time of year to think about what Emmanuel means, “G with us”. While standing there thinking of all the people that haven’t been told about the One who came to the earth to bring us back to Him.

Thank you for all your words to the Father, these past few weeks have been very busy for me. The sessions/classes all went well, I feel like I’ve learned more than is possible in such a short amount of time. I feel better equipped for the task and can not wait to arrive in South Asia. After the commissioning I had a wonderful amount of time to decompress and unwind. The drive from the East Coast to the West Coast was amazing, there were a lot of stops to see family and friends. I made it home on the 23rd and enjoyed a great dinner with my siblings and my parents. I leave for South Asia on January 12th yayyy. It’s pretty exciting and I really can’t wait to start building relationships and just get over there.

Here are some ways you can be kneeling for me:
-A great visit with my family and a good departure
-For me to be a diligent language learner and to pick it up as quick as possible
-to build amazing relationships with nationals
-that the language intensive home stay I’ll be doing goes good and there’s abundant sowing taking place

Well I hope everyone has a great New Years, I look forward to hearing from each of you when you get a chance.
Thank you so much each and everyone of you who is kneeling for me, it is the foundation of everything the Father will be using me for there.
In C, Sarah

Greetings from the East Coast!

Friends and Family I am so excited to have you partnering with me and my people (of South Asia) in knee bending. This is the first of many updates you will be receiving over the next two years as I live in South Asia. If by some chance you have received this e-mail and do not wish to get updates please let me know it will be no problem to remove a name.

I know it has been a while since I have had a chance to visit with some of you and I am sorry for that. I hope these e-mails will feel like we are sitting across from one another sharing about what our lives have been like and what’s been going on. I have spent the last three weeks on the East Coast at training for my job. I have been taking classes in ESL (English as a Second Language) and classes on being prepared for the task. There have been some amazing sessions about what to expect while living overseas, relationship building advise and some very sweet friendships have started. I know these next 6 weeks will fly by but there’s a lot of ground to be covered in there. Please be kneeling that I would be well rested and alert while in classes, that I would retain all the information needed and would take advantage of every learning opportunity. My family has been good with this direction I am following but please be lifting them up in this time also. It’s not always easy and there are still some rough patches with where I’m going and how they’re doing with it.
Some other things to be seeking Dad about are the people group I will be working with that their heart would be prepared for Truth. Dad has been in that country long before any of us even existed and he will be there long after us but please be kneeling for South Asia. Please be kneeling for the fellow national brothers and sisters living there under persecution that they would find the strength through the Pneuma to stand; also please kneel for fellow brothers and sisters from the states that are over there that they would be lead by Pneuma everyday in their various jobs of service to Dad.

Thank you and bless you all.
Love, Sarah

Here are some notes from my brain:
Verses: Mark 1.18, Psalm 143. They’ve been really encouraging and humbling in this time of preparation.
Songs: “Awaken” by Natalie Grant and “From The Inside Out” by HIllsong United