Hey guys
What up? Quite a bit going on here! I'm packing for my weekend trip to Jaisalmer. It's an overnight train that will take about 12 hours. This is actually going to be my first time on a train so i'm kind of excited :) Jaisalmer is in the desert, really close to Pakistan. Please pray for us to be safe. We're going on a camel safari halloween night and sleeping out in the desert, which i am so excited for!
Today i saw some elephants on the road for the first time. They are so my favorite animal now :) They had painted faces and stuff.
I have completely been won over by the Indian head bob. I do it all the time now. That will be a hard habit to break! :)
This week was my first week of working alone in my school. I am really tired and a bit worn out, but i think that's partly just natural because i've been here for 2 weeks now and the adrenaline is wearing off. The kids are really wild and i have a big class-20 kids. Most are 2-3 yrs old and can't do anything and there are about 4 kids who have the capacity to learn and are willing to learn. the ones in between are old enough, but just too naughty. I have a translator, Gopal, who s teaching with me. We've started splitting the kids into 2 groups-those who can learn and those who can't-and he teaches one group while i teach the other. It works prety well, but it means that i can't understand what the kids are saying and they can only understand a couple words that i say. i know sit, write, thank you, and no haha that's about it. it's very frusterating sometimes, but i always have chances everyday to show them a little bit of God's love. Like the first day, little Sopa (actually i think her name might be Shopa) came up to me and hung on my leg so i picked her up and she touched my face that way that babies do, and then she laid her head on my shoulder and i rocked her to sleep. Later on, i was thinking about it and i don't know if you remember but in an earlier post when i talked about who woud actually care for these children, one of the things i said was "who will rock little sopa to sleep?" God provided :) I was pretty psyched when i realized that.
I really, REALLY miss Christians. I took having other believers around all the time for granted. It's just so hard sometimes! i am submerged in a place where everyone around me has a different kind of lifestyle, and different beilefs. Not just the Indians, but the people i live with too. I love them all, but it's so good to talk to people who believe what you beilieve. Like, i see God in everything. In a beautiful day, in "coincidences" i believe to be God's favor, in healing, etc. and usually i can voice this-usually i can praise God by talking to other people about it. And every week i loved going to church and going to EvenSong for worship with my friends, and praying with people when they needed it or i needed it. It's great that i'm here with people who beileve different things because i can be a light in darkness-i've already had a few conversations with other voluneteers about God-but i feel like i'm givnig out without getting back much "soul food". instead it's like always being on defense. I can find solace in my Bible, but it's different than talking to people and looking at their faces and i don't know how to explain it but it's just something i miss. The ambience is different. I am willing to do this and i'm glad God put me here and i know it's right, but it's very hard. I just want to have a nice conversation with a fellow disciple and a hug :) since that probably won't happen unless one of you flies out here, how about you guys tell me anything you've learned or heard lately-a devotion or something interesting from a sermon or maybe just something new you just realized about your faith? I'm really spiritually hungry right now :) The more, the merrier! Thank you! and i am so grateful to have all of you in my life! You are wonderful. I am so blessed to be surrounded by such strong, faithful, good people. I miss you tons! But it's good here too. Don't think i feel regretful for being here or sad; i just need some fuel :) Thank you for your prayers-i have had so many little miracles everyday i couldn't deny that there was a God if i tried, or that prayers work. Love you guys, and talk to you again soon!
Cassie