Thursday, November 25, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so many things to be thankful for this year. This is my first Thanksgiving in the north, and it is quite colder than the south! I am thankful for electricity and heaters, fuzzy blankets and my dog! I am already wearing the coat my brother and sister-in-law are giving for Christmas next month! I am wearing the indoor thick-soled shoes my parents are giving me for Christmas! I am so thankful for my family, friends, encouragers and prayer warriors. I am thankful for those with beautiful feet, who share the Good News in this country and around the world.
I pray for those who have not heard the saving message of Jesus Christ, who have not had the choice to believe in Him.
One neighbor came today for the Moms and Friends Bible Club. We had such a sweet time. She is so unsure of her English that she cherished this time we had together. Now I am thinking of so many more things I should have told her today but didn't. My language is so limited. Today is the perfect day to share about God's love, and how much He cares about our lives. I could have shared with her all day and not run out of things to say about our great God.
Don't miss any opportunities today to exercise your beautiful feet.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Return to Apple Country

The journey to Apple Country is an all-day affair over dangerous winding roads. In just my daily living, I forget I live in the Himalayas, but am quickly reminding when I travel through them.
Well, Im having difficulty adding photos.







The views are breath-taking (and so are some of the bumps). These days the skies are a rich blue and the air crisp. Okay-it's downright cold in the mornings and at night! Especially when you have to go outside to "go." Inside around the stove, it is nice and toasty. My room didn't have heat, but my friend's down sleeping bag kept me cozy. I was delighted to find that it is too cold for the huge insects I shared the room with on my last visit.
I returned to the English School to encourage the new teachers, do some demonstration teaches, and help make the school presentable and inviting. Thanks to donations from friends, the walls are decorated with foam sheets the kids designed as well as paper birthday cakes for each month.
The mud walled rooms are cold, so the children sit outside.
Even the teacher training was outside.
They didn't know how to use many of their teaching materials, so we played a sound-matching game!



Apple season is over. The people in this district don't celebrate Diwali much. Instead, they celebrate Lavi, which commemorates a cooperation between the former king of this district and Tibet. This is a time to spend all the apple profits and but new clothes and items for the home. On the way back, I stopped by the Festival area to buy a new shawl. My helper discovered that you mustn't wash a wool shawl in hot water. It shrunk to one-fourth its original size.



Sunday, November 07, 2010

Big Girls Bible Club Learn Lessons From Mary, Mother of Jesus

Because of Diwali, Festival of Lights, I chose to tell Mary's story. After all, she is the mother of the Light of the World. The girls learned again, that god has a plan for their lives. Trust God. They learned from Mary's obedience, and love of the Lord. She loved Jesus all his life, and even after.
I taught the girls "This Little Light of Mine," and "Carry Your Candle."
Beryl gave me a package of colored tissue paper, so we made candle holders out of glasses, just as my dear friend Paige taught me this time last year!

Nice way to use the paint brush!



Some of the finished products.

For snack, the girls made pizzas. They went quickly!

Little Ones to Him Belong...

Yesterday, the youngest kids from the Children's Home came to have their English lesson, a healthy snack, and learn songs for Christmas.

Learning a song.

Snack
Coloring, and learning vocabulary.
Making a craft.
I won't see the kids next week as I have a trip back to Apple Country. Please pray for these precious little ones.

Friday, November 05, 2010

Fun at Aunty's House

No school for Diwali means a trip to Aunty's house to make crafts, speak in English, and learn songs. Thanks to generous donations from friends in FL and GA, I have craft supplies for the kids from Grace Home. I've divided them into groups. You've seen photos of the youngest group. This is the middle group ages eight to twelve years old. 


This ten-year-old is in grade three. She is Nepali, and loves to do crafts.
This girl's voice is as beautiful as her smile! I think I will give her a solo on "Away in a Manger." She is in grade five.
Pearly, a delightful eight-year-old has no living parents, so Rev. Paul and his wife consider her their own. She has been with them since she was four years old.
This lovely Nepali girl is eleven years old and in grade six. She has only recently come to the home because her mother cannot care for her.
Christy is the Rev. Paul's daughter. She and Pearly (their adopted daughter) are the only children who are not in need of sponsors. 
This beautiful nine-year-old has two older sisters at the home with him. Two other siblings live with another family. His parents are both living but unable to care for the kids, as he has lost both of his kidneys. He must travel 1/2 a day every ten days to get to this city to do his dialysis. He is a pastor, but is unable to properly care for his flock. His wife still visits villages and shares the Good News. She even shares in the hospital. She prays for all who are near her husband. They've been struggling in this way for over a year. I had the privilege of meeting them the other day. His mom has such a strong spirit. She said, "We are very poor, but I welcome you to my home."
Finished products! I love having the kids over!

Monday, November 01, 2010

Sunday Morning

Sunday morning, we returned to the church on top of the mountain which meets in the YWCA. A few weeks ago, I was asked to trained their two children's workers as they were restarting their Children's Church. I thought I had done a good job, making planning sheets, showing them how to use the many materials they had, making suggestions, and modeling one Sunday. The very next Sunday, they had no plan. Same for the next two. When they passed by me as they took the children out, they asked me to please come teach. So, I did.
I told them the story (with translation for some of the kids) from Genesis chapter 3. Afterward, I had the teacher read it in Hindi from the Bible, and the kids acted it out. The other teacher was the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. The little girl in green was the serpent.
The girls with their hands up are the bushes that Adam (in orange) and Eve hid behind after they realized they were naked! Yes, Children's Church was outside. With the monkeys scampering by on occasion.
This little guy is looking for his class.
The nursery.
Cute? Try scary! They are a nuisance, aggressive, and very noisy. I have to chase them out of the way so we can get to church and out again. Jerry is afraid of them-for good reason!
Anyway, I will try again to help the teachers make a plan. They want help with their Christmas plans as well. Between them, Children's Home, and my home groups, I will be VERY busy preparing for Christmas, but I wouldn't have it any other way!

Big Girls Bible Club Learn Lessons From Shiprah and Puah

The big girls came over Saturday to learn lessons from the lives of the Hebrew midwives who defied Pharoah and let the boy babies live. They feared God more than man. Fear of God leads to courage and obedience. God blesses those who fear and obey Him. Our craft was earrings. Here they are sporting their creations. No, Marley isn't wearing any.

Snack: carrot cake!
The girls LOVED making the earrings. A special thank you to the Merritt Island group for sending the beads and findings used today.
Working on the earrings.