So it has been a few days since we arrived at our new home. My life is a dream. This entire place is a dream.
Beautiful farmland with gentlemen scarecrows guarding the land, fields of grass rolling in the wind, a lovely dirt road hiding dangerous king cobras, majestic and delicately detailed trees,
Three modern-like structures surrounding a pond and one dreamy dock above the water—perfect for late night conversations and life observations. I saw a firefly! Maya and I talked late into the night on that dock—about life, Fahrenheit 451, stoop kids, Len’s and Pat’s lives [two ministry hosts we have had this month], and the life I have always dreamt of, how humans imprison themselves in their own habitual chains creating a mundane world and calling it earth…”such is life”. Well I say NO! Such is not life. Earth is in NO way mundane nor habitual. It is unpredictable and beautiful, hardly reliable yet wonderful and grand in its treasure trove of adventure.
We also have a dog..”Nin” or “Nim”…I am not sure which, of if any of those. She follows us on walks which is incredibly cute that she trusts loves and protects us so well. I pick wildflowers everyday and put them in my hair, or make flower crowns for myself and others. As far as farm work—I’ve poured buckets of urine from the septic tank onto the plants. And I have weed whacked. My arm is semi-torn up by thorn bushes and I have got blisters and callouses. I have dirt all over, unknown scratches and bruises, I am sticky from the dried sweat that envelopes my body, I have half-dead flowers all over my hair—my skin is sun kissed, the wind is my constant companion, and such a calm one at that, and
I am home. In love. And loved.
You know it. I know it. I am in my element. Living my dream. Water, earth, wind, and the fire from the passion in my heart God has ignited. This is where all ends meet. This is my ‘Nirvana’ my paradise with Jesus.
We walked to the little market last night, it is just on the other side of the temple that is right at our front door. But it is SUCH a beautiful walk, we took the “long” way back through the country road, Danielle and I exploring—making everyone follow our evening rambles. We found what we thought COULD be tamarind. Seed pods on the ground, we broke them open and dared to try them. Mostly out of a desperate curiosity. And no one was convinced by anything we decided to do or eat. I scoped under a bridge for a troll—there was no troll, only a trash animal.
Anyway danielle and I ended up alone with Nin. The only other adventurer apparently 😉 since all others abandoned us for home. We kept on the dirt road past our home—picking wildflowers as the land grew darker around us. We also introduced ourselves to one of the scarecrow gentlemen. I offered him Bugles [yummy chips, not musical instruments to break out in song to] and field candy and he took neither. Not very gentlemen-y I must say. Nin kept attacking some bushes, or rather the animals within them, which we realized could very well be and most likely WERE king cobras which are HIGHLY poisonous possibly maybe I don’t actually know. Nin psyched us out and we ran home.
Pat—our host—
My hero. I have a picture of Pat. He is on the dock, holding a fishing pole and a medium sized fish—wild hair, smirky smile, yet a hard resolution behind sturdy eyes.
Accurate.
That is Pat.
Wild—yet determined, free spirit, uncontrolled by NO man nor woman nor law, uncontrolled by even himself—only under the direction of the Holy Spirit does he live his life. “My life is uncomfortable. I have no peace. I don’t live for my comfort, nor my family’s comfort. I live for God. I don’t have peace. But it works!” He does not live in safety and he often steps into wild things for God. And it is all for God. Let God interrupt your daily lives. In fact, let God LEAD your crazy life because like pat said, “it works” No plans no schedules, wherever the Lord leads. A life truly living. A life truly giving. And a life truly given to God.
The boys who live here, working on the farm, came from a life of stealing, murder, rape, prostitution, human trafficking, drug dealing, and into the arms of God. I am honored to work alongside them. We met Mann for only a day, heard his story before he left for another town in order to attend Bible school. He went from orphanages to rehabs to prostitution to foster homes, attempted rape, more rehab and into Pat’s home. Ehg [i am 99% sure that ISNT how it is spelled] I don’t know his story yet, only he “has committed every crime in the book” He is so joyful—and looks incredibly free. I pray that it is so and that it may always be so!
Yesterday morning pat asked during a meeting, how our pee and poo have been. “Have you been peeing well? Going often?” Yes, Pat, and thank you for considering our bowel movements! Later on, while farming, we were told the buckets we were filling were from the septic tank… anyway the truth we had been subconsciously trying hard NOT to understand: they are collecting our bodily wastes to work the land! Is that why they’ve gathered us here?! Jk
Anyway that is how we water the trees. Glad I’m not wasting my waste.
We have been riding on the backs of trucks. That’s one of my top favorite modes of transportations. 1. By train. 2. By the roof of a truck. 3. By the back of the truck.
We are teaching English! Linds and I are teaching lil kiddos under a tree. That is our class room, not restricted by walls. The earth has become our dry erase board and sticks are our earth markers. My babies names are: My, Me, Nam, Louis, and Shokun. Shokun is my child, he breaks out in random dancing and runs out into the field quite often. Especially when asked a question, his answer will always be just…dancing away from us. Our kids at class time: they climb trees, dance, act out animals, run, and play many games. They also learn English of course, and a little bit about our God who loves us. Lord may we spread your love and your words and the knowledge of your salvation to all your creations on earth, that we are blessed to meet.
I can’t get off this “second floor”—where I write. it is really a rooftop with a ‘cafe’ atop the compound in which I sleep. EVERYTHING IS SO BEAUTIFUL
