Aap kaisa hai?

Note: This post was written on Sunday, March 30 at 4:15 AM

Hello, everyone! Aap kaisa hai? (How are you?) I'm doing well and delighting in my time here. My apologies for not being able to keep the blog updated. The internet has been down here for some time. Even as I write this post, it is still down but I wanted to keep you updated with what the Lord is doing here. Right now I'm sitting in my room...it's about 11x8 feet with screened windows on 2 sides. There is no glass pane in the window, but the shutters can be closed in case of rain. It's about 80 degrees in the room so we're keeping the fans on almost all the time, which makes it quite pleasant inside. Out in the sun, it's significantly warmer as you would imagine…closer to 90 during the mid and early afternoon.

It's so quiet and peaceful here. From my window, I can hear a bird singing in the trees and see the many flowers in bloom on the campus. A couple of little boys are playing ball on my porch with a rock and tennis racket. The kids here are very inventive and play contently for hours upon end with no "toys" or entertainment to speak of. Just a rock and a friend are all they need.
So what have I been doing this past week? Upon arriving to the village after a very (thankfully) uneventful 8 hour drive, we were warmly greeted by some of the hospital staff and people from the village…another answer to prayer. Some of the staff had completely cleaned and painted the P's house, which was such a blessing to them not knowing what to expect when they came back. Apparently, the inside walls were covered with mold, and you can imagine the dust that would build up over 8 months, plus all of the little critters that had take up residence in their absence. It was so nice for them to come home to some sense of order. There were lots of little things to still be done, which has occupied much of our week. Cleaning, cooking, and taking care of the kids has pretty much filled up every day. Yet there has been much time to spend in the word and in fellowship with the P's. S and I have tried to have a prayer time together each day, which has been a tremendous blessing. The week has been busy yet restful at the same time.

It's so nice to come back here and see familiar faces. I can't believe how much some of these kids have grown in 9 months. Little brown faces with eyes like deep ink wells…they tug at my heart! Most of them spend their days cutting grass with a small knife or tending cows and goats. So few smiles…their burdens are heavy. O, that they may come to know Him!

Everyone I've met seems to remember me from last year so it's nice to have a little bit of a bond with them. I'll admit that it is somewhat frustrating not being able to speak to most of them so I'm really working on my language study, which is not coming easily. But every time we go out into the village or I hear kids playing outside, it spurs me on to want to learn more. I so desire to be able to speak with these people and share with them the message of Christ. But for now, I must just express my love for Him by my actions and by my countenance. I am reminded of Paul's words, "Only let your manner of life be worthy of the gospel of Christ." I pray that even in this small way that they may be drawn to Him and that one day I will be able to speak to them of the truth that is in Jesus.

Guess that's all for now…more posts and pictures to come as soon as possible. Thank you for your prayers and please continue to pray for the P's settling back in, wisdom for me, and that the one true God may be worshiped among this people.