So if you are a pessimist you would look at my year as being half over.. If you were optimist you would look at this trip as only halfway started. Me? I look at this year as moving way to fast, but also moving slowly. The months fly by but on the other hand I feel like I’ve been in them forever. As soon as we unpack I feel like we are leaving again……… But on the other hand I feel like I’ve lived in these places forever.. these are my homes.
Halfway over of halfway started… Whichever way you look at it- it is the halfway point of my world race. Can you believe it? 2 continents down, 2 to go. I can hardly believe I have been living abroad in 6 different countries for almost 6 months. So far- Thailand, check, Cambodia, check, Australia, check, Malaysia, check, India, check, and Nepal, almost a complete check!
The. Most. Beautiful. Drive. Ever. From Kathmandu down to Nijgadh where we are currently staying.. About 5-6 hour drive through the mountains. Beautiful.. But the bumpiest ride you have ever felt. Another time I couldn’t help but laugh at how hysterical it was.. Because it was never ending. Seriously bounced completely out of all of our seats.. Trey hit his head a few times. But we made it- whiplash and all
I don’t know if each country keeps getting better and better, or if all of them are so unbelievably awesome that God has renewed my heart every month to be prepared for more of His greatness. As hard as it is to leave each country, my heart is constantly being made whole and I find myself having another “best month ever” If that is at all possibly.
Nepal……. This has been my first eye opening month to the village life- probably good preparation for the African countries we will be traveling to the next few months. There I go again having expectations.. Every time I do, I find myself laughing at how wrong I am…… Anways.. We are staying with an amazing family.. Daniel and Theresa and their beautiful daughter Christina.
The most exciting part- Theresa is nine months pregnant.. WE ARE HAVING A BABY. She is supposed to be due in the next week or so.. Which is extremely exciting.
She cooks us the most amazing meals.. Seriously food is getting better and better.. Or like I said earlier.. God is just preparing my stomach every month to enjoy it to the fullest.. Yeah we will go with that haha.. . Bless her heart though.. This is BY FAR the hottest month we have had on the race. It is somewhere between 105-115 degrees here.. It is hard to describe what this means for the month. First of all.. I haven’t had air condition in 6 months.. But its been ok.. Fans usually can keep you somewhat cool.. Or at least not miserable. Here though.. The power likes to shut off at the hottest part of the day.. Or when you are sleeping.. So you wake up in pools of your own sweat. This is payback for us since last month in India a few of our teams were in the hottest parts of the country and we were in the nice breezy town of Bangalore. We also only have water for 2 hours in the wee hours of the morning or for 2 hours in the afternoon so we have to make sure to fill up all our buckets for showers and laundry and toilet water while they are on. Oh yeah.. Officially our first month with our own squatty potty.. YEAH the race life. Also with this heat comes exhaustion. Its hard to have energy.. Its hard to have any motivation to do anything.. But our team is doing amazing. No one is complaining and we are doing what we have to do to stay positive. It has taken me forever to even write this blog because I’m too tired haha. Pray for us
This week we started teaching at the Gem school across from their home.. Today I taught 10th grade, 8th grade, 7th grade, and 6th grade social studies and then 10th and 8th grade computer science which was hilarious because I don’t know computer science.. And these students don’t really know computers. So we just laughed at each other a lot.. Which I am ok with. We will also be doing some manual labor outside and will be doing vbs for the kids at school. As I am writing this I’m so excited.. Just realized the vbs we will be doing is for mostly Hindu students! PRAISE GOD FOR THIS OPPORTUNITY! We could change lives and families.. Plant seeds for Christ. I can’t wait to share what I’ve been so freely given to all these beautiful amazing children.
A few more comical highlights of the month.. And we’re only one week in – the neighbors killed a king cobra in their home yesterday.. CRAZY! There are rats everywhere upstairs where we stay.. Actually early this morning one decided to go for a swim in our shower water.. Thank goodness the guys found it first- or this girl would have freaked out. We are sleeping under mosquito nets.. And looking at the top of it now I know why.. We now have a bug farm. We will start naming them soon . In order to make our skin look better our contacts give us sliced cucumbers daily to put on our faces.. Ahh I feel like I’m in a spa- more like a sauna
So I decided I wanted to wear the saree I bought in India to church on Saturday since I haven‘t been able to wear it yet.. So Tye wore the one her sister gave her and Julie put on one of our contacts saree’s.. and off we go to church. First of all.. It is the hottest day of the year in any country you could ever imagine. Okay I may be exaggerating but holy moly it was HOT!! And since we only have a motorbike and our contact was taking his 9 month pregnant wife on it.. this is how we got to church. We turned right straight into a cornfield.. Walk straight and turn left at the end of the cornfield into another cornfield. Straight and then right at the next cornfield.. Straight through, turn right at the water buffalo.. Left at the dirt road and BAM there we were. Saree’s and all.. Sweating straight through.. Sweat pouring down our faces.. Laughing hysterically and how much of a good idea we thought this was. Welcome to Nepal.
This is a month of finally letting go of the things I hold so dearly to.. Absolutely no way to go get internet, no star bucks, no internet café… our contact has an internet stick so when I’m done with this blog I will put it on a flash drive stick and upload it to his computer.. But other than that I can’t upload any pictures.. No face book stalking haha. We are finally going a month without coffee.. I know CRAZY. No snacking in between meals.. Which is a first! Not even a fruit stand close to buy fruit. But I am thankful.. Because these are things I have been holding onto to make me feel more comfortable. Also this month I am makeup fasting. Yes ladies and gentlemen you heard it. I AM MAKEUP FASTING! Other than church (when I put on mascara and just some spot concealer and regretted it after I sweated it all off) I decided that this is the month. It helps that there are absolutely NO mirrors! Talk about a shock.. Coming from a job where I LIVE in mirrors.. To now- I have no idea what I look like. Yup this is a different Crystal than I’m used to. But that is good.. that’s what this year is all about. To let go of the things that I have decided “defines me” and letting God define me. Letting the woman He has created me to be define me. Letting my gifts that he has so graciously given me define me. Yes.. I am no longer Crystal- put together.. makeup fresh.. high heels, hair styled into perfect curls.. So worried about the food I’m eating and where it will land on my body, how manicured my toes and fingers are and if there are stray hairs on my eyebrows. Now I am Crystal- Beautiful daughter of God from the inside.. Letting the Joy of the Lord come out of my pores, Hands and feet that are serving him and others, crowned for this Kingdom.. Eating and cherishing every bite of food that is served me because the hands that prepare it are working so hard to serve us and bless us regardless of the heat or their comfortableness. Letting others know and love me because of who I am and not because of what I look like on the outside.
Okay..so I do still love to get my occasional facial and painting my toes purple, wearing some fancy earrings and getting dressed up to feel pretty.. But I’m finding that it doesn’t matter to me like it used to. It doesn’t define me.. God defines me and God made me the way I am for a purpose..
