Life on Tour

My INCREDIBLE friends take their family to Delhi, India.

2011-12-10T15:27:00.001Z

After being there, I know the rawness and difference in life that they will experience over the next year as they begin their journey in New Delhi. I also know the beauty that will come from it.

Please keep them close to your hearts as they adjust to life there.

http://mollysindiatrip.tumblr.com/ is where you can read their adventures. Hope that you can find the time to read and pray.

We LOVE our Rugby. All Blacks win the World Cup.

2011-10-25T23:29:00.004+01:00

I love this video of the crowds watching the game on Sunday night...just shares an insight to human emotion, even if it is just a game.

I am a proud kiwi at the moment!

Our World Champion All Blacks! from Jared Brandon Productions on Vimeo.

A little whirl-wind-ish

2011-10-20T07:04:00.000+01:00

This week has been one of those strange weeks where everything seems to happen at once. I won't bore you with the details, but these moments tend to happen in the funniest of times which I find intriguing. It's a funny time because this is my last week of classes for the year, my final exams start next week, I am moving out of my apartment the week after, then traveling (yay!) to the states the week after that = madness.

When I started at the outset of this week I did not know that I would be concluding it by signing a contract for a teaching job in Samoa. Yes, really. One of those weeks.

Needless to say, it is an already busy time, but I am confident that if this is the right thing for me to be doing then everything will, and has thus far, fall into place. For the moment, the contract is sitting on my desk while I mull over it - and life.

So who wants an island holiday next year?!

My Growing Wall

2011-09-22T09:19:00.002+01:00

At first it was just a wall where I would put one or two things to remind me of the most urgent, but lately, it has become a wall of things that have been forgotten or put aside far too long.

As I look up from my computer to the wall in front of me, I am constantly reminded of those things that plague me...if only I could work for 20 hours and sleep for 4. That would suit me well at the moment. Although, all of my health lectures would tell me otherwise.

I guess it's just that time of the year and that time of the semester in the life of a student. Last week I finished all of my midterms and my finals are now just around the corner. With three reports and essays to write, I am not looking forward to the next couple of weeks, which is just going to roll straight into finals, I can sense it now.

Medical School...they know how to pile the workload up for you!

So this is my moment of 'Urgh', I hope you don't mind me sharing.

But my moment of joy that comes straight after, is looking to the left where my calendar is and seeing a big, happy 'USA' written in purple.

Flash Haka - Non Kiwi friends please watch!

2011-09-05T03:26:00.000+01:00

As New Zealand gears up for the most exciting sporting event the country has ever hosted - the Rugby World Cup, people are starting to get a little patriotic. It's sweet to see, and I'm sure there will be many more shows to come.

To my non-kiwi friends - I thought this would be a treat for you to see the Haka being performed.

A few sweet moments

2011-09-04T07:53:00.001+01:00

My favourite, MOST favourite time of the year is Spring. I love the clear, crisp blue skies, the birds chirping, flowers emerging and the new beginnings. It is such a beautiful time and I am enjoying it greatly.

Sunrises and sun shine meant that I got to wear my jandals for the first time since summer. . . mmm

Flowers are starting to bloom

Precious friends visiting and making my worlds collide from all over the world again.

Baking hearts

Take Heart

2011-09-01T12:31:00.001+01:00

It's been an interesting month or two, ones that have landed my head in many different places. All places have been good to go, to explore and to really ponder. Some that have been familiar to me in the past, and some unfamiliar.

My most intense and scary place is thinking about and considering my future. You see, I have been the person that has jumped on board any adventure that I could, if an opportunity was presented, then I took it - of course I considered and weighed my options, you'd be foolish not to. But this space is different, it is full of the unknown, of really heavy considerations for life in my future, of what that may look like in my 30s, and how I want to set myself up for that now. I want to be flexible, still able to jump on board adventures, I want a sustainable career, I want to not be bored and complacent, I want to be able to give and be generous with all that I am and have, and I want to be able to be secure and comfortable.

I have been asking myself what the priorities are for me in life. How are they different from what they were 5 years ago and how might that be different in 5 years time? It's a crazy thought this future thing, and it has spun me out a little bit. I am glad I have not had my head in that cloud before because it's hard - it's hard to predict life and its paths and journeys that you encounter. I don't think we really can predict, but I'm thinking more and more that we can plan.

PLANNING. I thought I finished with the whole teacher thing? I didn't think I had to have a plan for every day anymore, or every semester or year. I don't want to plan, never have, and have always hated it. I'm a 'fly by the seat of my pants' girl, and the good old kiwi attitude of 'winging it'. But, I'm just not sure it's going to cut it anymore. I don't think I can just 'wing' this thing called life.

So as I am trawling through options that I have for my life and future, I just guess I have to take heart, and be secure that it will all be worked out in the end. I have complete faith and security that life will be good, fun and full, but it's the in-between areas that I am not so secure in. What do I dive into next week and next year? I mean, I have no clue.

Icing on the Quake

2011-07-25T04:09:00.002+01:00

This is what Christchurch looks like this morning, snow covering and even settling on the beach. An "icing on the quake" as they are calling it. I know I am not there but saw it in the news and loved it. It is so classically Kiwi.

ALL or Nothing.

2011-07-21T04:48:00.002+01:00

Isn't it funny when you realise things about yourself that you knew, but weren't necessarily in the forefront of your mind.

I have known for a long time that I am very much an ALL or nothing kind of a girl. That when I throw myself at something, I throw my complete self. There is nothing that is half-arsed (excuse the very kiwi expression) about it. I love to get involved, my hands stuck in and get all messy. I don't know why, I just do, and I guess in a way it has characterized me throughout my life in most shapes and forms that I have somehow developed into. Not only is it true that I love to do things, do them well and sometimes almost go a little extreme and compulsive, but it is very, very natural 'condition' for me. Maybe I need to work on it, balance out a little, or maybe it's just a sweet reminder of who I am. I'm not sure...but just to keep you amused, here is the recent list that has cropped up inside my head:

I either go to the gym (extreme) or I really don't go to the gym (lazy)

I don't eat sugar or I really do eat (too much) sugar

I never watch T.V or I watch back to back episodes (House, Chuck, NCIS addiction)

I either study the crap out of things or I ...(do any of the things above)

I work really, really hard and I holiday really, really hard (not much in between)

I am involved in a church and do everything, or I am not involved in a church and do...not much

I am friends with someone and give them my all, or I am not friends with someone and they remain peripheral

I stay in regular contact with friends overseas, or they are forgotten in the present and sadly that means I do not keep up to date with them (sorry)

I go out every night of the week, or I stay home every night of the week

I cook an amazing dinner with flavours, smells, courses or I eat toast

I'm sure there have been many more throughout my life, and will continue to be more throughout my life but that's just me right now. And currently, I'm throwing myself into:

Going to the gym

Not eating sugar

Studying

So therefore there is no capacity for much else because those things fill me right to the brim and that is SO exciting to me.

Oh, and my other full time job of answering the age old question of 'Where in the world should I go now?'

Common Themes in Christchurch

2011-07-01T08:11:00.006+01:00

Hey friends,

As most of you know, I have had the absolute privilege of a very lively upbringing & life which has included me living in many towns, cities and countries. The difference between myself and most others is that I don't have that rooted, stable place that a person grows up in which, in a way, identifies them. I have discovered in life that most places I go I seem to think I could call it home, not forever, but for a season. There is one city though, that throughout my life, I have most identified with being 'home', where I have that 'it's nice to be back' feeling. Christchurch is just the special place to me, I may not live here now, or maybe never again but somewhere deep inside I guess it will always have that comfortable feeling of being home.

And again, as most of you know, my 'home' has been hit by several large earthquakes over the last 9 months. This week I have returned to Christchurch for the first time in 4 months, and after a few more, quite impacting quakes, I've noticed not only the landscape changing and declining, but the spirit also. I wanted to share some common images of what I've encountered on most streets today, not when the events have first happened, but what it is still like today as I drive and walk through this once was beautiful, but now battered city.

Cracks are everywhere, this is just one of thousands in the roads which make for a bumpy ride.

Portaloos line the streets, for some people they haven't had a toilet or shower since September. Houses just waiting to be demolished or fixed. I think this one needs more than a hammer!

Shops with their entire faces crumbled away....

This office up top has good air flow!

It's completely unfathomable to me that the streets are still in this state, and I'm standing right there and looking at it in disbelief. The thing that is probably the most hard to deal with is that it seems to be continous. The earth settles for a quiet moment, but then again, it rumbles and brings down something else. For the people of Christchurch it is not a matter of the bigger ones that come, but the ones that are felt every single day, the smaller ones, the unreported, but with every new one brings a new hole or crack and even more discomfort.

It's funny because as I've past demo sites I am struck with the question 'What was even there?', and the 'I can't remembers' are frequent. So as the memories of what this city once looked like begin to fade, my hope is that the rebuilding of it is redemptive and strong. That woven in to it's new fabric and shape, is the true colours of the people of this land and nation. I'm hopeful that once again, Christchurch will be called beautiful, because even in it's mess, I still think it is.

Boarding...

2011-06-20T20:22:00.000+01:00

Last night I finished my last final exam for this semester. I'm relieved to get done with the exams and this semester which seemed to go for an eternity. So here I am, 6am the very next morning waiting at my departure gate to get on a flight to Sydney, Australia.

You don't know how excited I am to get on a plane, an international flight - even if it is just to Australia. But I get to use my passport, different currency, hear different accents and the thought is just so...bliss to me.

I'll admit that I am addicted. I have no concerns with that, its been 6 months since my last international flight and that is about 5 months too long.

So the long awaited holiday is finally here and I'm so stoked. Will be so great to see friends that I have not hugged for a long time.

Wish you all could join me.

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Magnitude 6.0 caught on film - Christchurch 13 June 2011

2011-06-14T04:25:00.000+01:00

This little kid is a dude...

Christchurch definitely not forgotten.

2011-06-13T05:52:00.003+01:00

Friends around the world...

I ask you to keep Christchurch on your minds.

The media, for the most part had forgotten about Christchurch - until this afternoon when a series of large aftershocks hit and caused more damage, fear and concern after the major earthquake in February, preceding to the one in September (confusing I know - there's just so many!).

But to my friends and family in Christchurch, know that I have not forgotten, New Zealanders here and around the world have not forgotten and the deepest prayers, love and strength will continue to go out to you each and every day.

I have friends who still, 4 months later, do not have running water, bathrooms and full power facilities. Porta-loos or 'pottys' still hang out on every corner and the neighbourhood share much more than the street they live on. I will be there in two weeks time sharing the neighbourly love also.

Here's a picture to show the scale of what is going on thanks to a friend...

Let's all hope the earth in New Zealand begins to settle.

People

2011-06-10T11:25:00.000+01:00

I'm continually amazed at the calibre of people that I have in my life.

My life has always been about people. I love people, love stories, love cultures and love meeting and making connections. It truly blesses me to my core.

I just took another look around in the globe on the inside of my head today and just counted my blessings for the amazing people I have in my life that are just plotted all over our planet, near or far. Each and every person so special to me in such different ways.

Each person taking a vital and active role in my world, to lift me up, encourage me, kick my butt, make me laugh, to love parts of me I thought no one could, to inspire me, to provoke action and thought, to humble me.

I could continue the list forever but just know that I love having you in my life and it wouldn't be the same without you. Yes, you!

Loving lifes adventures right now because they involve you.

So thanks friend, where ever you are.

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In the absence of words...you get pictures.

2011-05-24T06:14:00.004+01:00

Wedding Season...Kim & Isaac

Anne-Marie & Richard
Jen & Patrick

The event of getting glasses..
Breakfast smiles..
Buying myself flowers...Friend had an amazing launch of his new fashion line..
Pretty colours in the midst of Autumn..
My University..
My first Valentine (Thank you Benjamins!)...

My brother is a champ...and glad he's still walking.

2011-04-17T11:23:00.000+01:00

This weekend in New Zealand was one of the biggest motorsport racing events in the southern hemisphere - the v8 Supercars. My brother was invited to race in a support series and did an amazing job driving with the big boys of the track, coming in fifth position, on his last lap on his second to last turn he was doing great...

Until...

A major crash - his first. But this I am thankful for - his new and improved safety gear, seat and harness. He is sore, bruised and battered as well as extremely torn into pieces, but he walks.

The driver that clipped him after he passed was in the wrong, you can't see it this angle but Stephen gets hit in the rear, spun into a wall, then thrown across the track to hit the other wall where he came to a stop.

Urgh, it's painful, as a sister and as a supporter to see this happen. So much time, effort, energy and resources has been poured into this - what he loves doing, and at the mercy of another silly driver and his decision - it all comes crashing down.

But, again, thankful that he walked out of it - because it could have been a very different picture.

QUAKED - Some guys having some fun with the ripped apart streets.

2011-04-06T22:09:00.000+01:00

Some people just know how to turn the lemons into something fun. Love this vid of some guys taking to the ripped apart and wavy streets of Christchurch after mother nature tore them up.

I can do something, but not everything!

2011-04-04T05:18:00.001+01:00

I'm about to go into an organic chemistry exam...I have tried everything - pretty colours, online tutorials, making big messes, using grapes and wire to understand Newman projections, and of course a real tutor and study groups.

After all my attempts to understand I still fall very short of where I need to be. So, hopefully this is where big guy steps on in and sends me some chemistry genius.

Small Delights

2011-03-23T05:31:00.007Z

The transition between being an earner to a student on a rather tight budget has been quite tough for me. I guess it's just another thing that a grown person has to sacrifice when going back to school and chasing their dreams. So here are some sweet delights that I have enjoyed over the last month or 2. A luxury that I know I really can't afford. But my coffee a day - it's just

something that I am holding onto right now. It's my link to life, to real people, to feeling like I have not had to sacrifice everything to be here.

And a sweet birthday thrown in the mix with some nice treats.

So the hard stuff about studying is still there...

I'm all about chasing my dreams but I kind of forgot how hard that might be. I'm finding myself being surrounded by 18 year old brains competing for those A's that everyone wants, because all 1200 students want one of those 200 places in a limited entry for part 2 medical school next year.

Every day I have my moments, the day that I know, that I know, that I know, that I can conquer the world.

The day that Chemistry just doesn't make any sense and the lecturer is speaking a foreign language.

The day that I remember that I am here for a purpose.

The day that I remember if I don't try then I have already failed.

Actually, it's not days, it's more like moments, either fleeting or hanging over like a cloud every moment of the day.

I'm not stressed, I'm not too worried but I think I am just being too much of a realist. Chemistry, chemistry, chemistry, it is my road block...how on earth is it possible to get an A?

I don't know but I guess all I can do is try, hope and be obedient to the dreams that I have planted in my heart.

If those dreams don't end up like I picture then that is cool. I'm happy to go and to be anything that gives me freedom.

I have never loved my job and I want, really, really want to be able to love my job. At the end of the day I think that's what matters...feel fulfilled in something that I put my hand to.

So, on with Chemistry study!

Wild Times.

2011-03-13T08:42:00.000Z

I know that I promised a blog about someone that needs your support. Yes, I failed that. But I do hope that you have allowed God to move and you have been praying nonetheless. One of these days I will get to writing the story...

Right now needs are just so immense around the world. I can't believe the massive devastation from the Japanese Earthquake and Tsunami, to me its incomprehensible. I'm still in shock about New Zealands own disaster, but here the world is facing yet another, straight off Christchurchs' back.

There are so many precious people to me in Japan that are facing nuclear uncertainty, warnings of more earthquakes and subsequently more Tsunami.

I guess this is just a small plea for you to keep pressing on and praying. Life is crazy, and the events over the last couple of weeks really puts life into perspective.

Just a small Christchurch update - I think our local and national government have down a phenomenal job in guiding this city and nation through the tragedy, giving a ton of amazing support. BUT it doesn't mean everythings fine. I still have friends and family that have no home to go back to, and people with no sewage and power. Almost 3 weeks down the track - its a tough ordeal and full on props to the people living like this and getting on with their lives.

On an even more personal note, my Grannys health is not good at all. She suffered a heart attack (not fatal!) when the quake happened, and is now on more solid ground at my parents - but since then has had 2 mild strokes. I would appreciate you sending up a prayer or two for her.

Massive thanks to everyone for the support.

xx

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Trying to Capture Stories...

2011-02-25T10:59:00.000Z

So for the last day or two, I have been trying to think of what to write and how to communicate the great depth of loss, confusion, devastation, joy at times and absolute trauma that Christchurch, New Zealand and certain parts of the world has had to deal with over the last 4 1/2 days.

As all of you know, Christchurch has gone through one of New Zealands most disastrous events in our small but colourful history. To many other countries, a death toll of 113, and rapidly rising doesn't make much of a mark but let me tell you in a country this size, it doesn't just hit those people directly - our nation takes a stake to its heart.

For many people, they are thankful they are alive, able to hug and kiss their loved ones and able to stay in their homes. For others, many others, they have simply fled to more stable ground and will deal with the mess in their own time. For a lot of people, including a lot of my family and friends, have lost their homes, livelihood, income, businesses and are relying on Civil Defence welfare centres to provide their basic needs. For the friends and family that have been fortunate enough to be able to stay in their homes - a lot still, going into the 4th night, don't have water, sanitation, electricity and are very quickly running out of gas for their barbecues which have provided for their needs such as water boiling and cooking.

I say this out of basic reality check rather than to pull at your heart strings. The real deal is that the almost 500,000 strong people in this city have been absolutely brought to a halt and to its knees. In what ever sense of the term - out of desperation, out of need, out of fear, and out of prayer.

We are known for our strength, our fighting spirit, our ability to move on and to rebuild (especially after the last quake), our hospitality, our comradeship and the way that we just 'muck in'.

Among the sad and gut wrenching stories, come amazing miracles and tales of people risking their lives for others. Student volunteers getting out into the streets numbering in the 000s caring for the elderly, cleaning up streets, shoveling silt from roads and driveways and generally just doing what they can. Amazing stories of survival, of how they waited and had faith, of how others rescued co-workers and used their strength such as mountaineering skills to lower their colleagues out of buildings. Its truly amazing the things that you hear and the strength of the human spirit.

I know that the people of Christchurch will be stronger and better in the years to come. I know that there will always be a hole and a missing part in all of us, and I know that we can't do it without the strength and support of this nation - New Zealand, and the nations of the world.

Thank you nations of the world that have come to our aid. The outcome would have been much more grim if you didn't come...at least with your efforts, it has enabled us to carry hope and thankfulness.

Tomorrow I'm going to share a story of an incredibly strong woman who I cherish. She needs your support and prayer.

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Dramatic aerial video: Strong earthquake hits Christchurch, New Zealand

2011-02-22T21:14:00.000Z

Here is another aerial video from Christchurch - it is still in major trauma and danger zone so friends please continue to pray for it.

All my family has been accounted for - some homeless, but came out reasonably unharmed. I am still waiting on a lot of friends to make contact with the world. It is hard because there is massive overloading on the phone lines and we cannot make calls, and text messages are very to slow to go through if they go at all. There is no electricity to much of the city and sewage is contaminating the limited tap water that is available.

At present there are still over 100 people believed to be trapped in central city buildings, one big one is currently on fire and making rescue efforts much harder as they battle the flames, but trying not to put too much water in there for fear of drowning remaining survivors.

It's pretty fair to say that Christchurch is in a desperate state at the moment, and will continue to be in this state of emergency for days to come.

If anyone does want to contribute to the Red Cross Appeal, or Salvation Army emergency fund, then you can do it via websites:

Salvation Army

Red Cross (This website is being overloaded at present but it should be working later in the day)

Thank you, thank you, thank you to all my friends and family around the world that have taken the time to contact and make sure that my family and friends are safe. You don't know how much it means to me to have people from the USA, Canada, London, Turkey, India, Australia, South Africa and Singapore contact and share their concerns. It is very humbling to me. You all mean so much to me and I continue to trust that you're keeping everything in your thoughts and prayers.

It is one of New Zealands darkest and most tragic days.

Big love to you all.

Major Earthquake has hit Christchurch, New Zealand

2011-02-22T09:57:00.000Z

Christchurch Devastation

2011-02-22T06:15:00.002Z

This is mainly for my friends who are not living here in New Zealand.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/photos/4688271/Christchurch-aftershock-Feb-22

My city of Christchurch suffered yet another massive earthquake around 5 hours ago. So far, there is a death toll of 65 and estimated to at least double as rescue workers work around the clock to get people from under the rubble.

It is scary, devastating, breath taking (at the power of the earth), and horrifying.

This quake is another massive blow to a city that had not breathed a sigh of recovery since the last major one in September.

My request is this - you simply must keep Christchurch in your hearts and mind. It is wounded deeply.

Thank you x

Home to Aotearoa

2010-12-18T23:57:00.001Z

I am spending a nice afternoon at Clarke Quay, among the restaurants,
boats, fish and people watching, you can't get much better than warm
tropical weather and a good ice-cream and you can get it all here.

The most fun I'm having is checking out the fish in the river, feeding
on all sorts of things. Their scales are shiny and reflective as the
graze close to the waters surface. Hundreds just huddling together and
seeing what sort of yummies they can find. Its quite a nice wee sight.

Singapore, although I've only been here 3 times after my stint here
being born and being a baby - it still feels so comfortable and homely
and like I would fit into the culture, people, climate, and life at
the snap of my fingers. Maybe its because its a city that is clean and
green, or because its so easy to get around, or maybe cos everyone
speaks English? I'm not sure of why the ease and comforts are there,
but they just are.

Its a great location and really is the gateway of Asia. Its affordable
and easy to travel to any country around the world really and the best
thing that Singapore did for itself is making it a central hub with a
giant and amazing airport. It doesn't matter if you have a 9 hour lay
over in Changi Airport, because it will really only feel like 2 once
you've gone and explored, or maybe even got a spa treatment, gone to
the botanical gardens or butterfly garden or eaten an array of amazing
food and surfed the internet for free. No painful waiting here like
there was in Entebbe or Mumbai where you literally see the seconds
pass as minutes or sometimes even hours.

So anyway, this trip to Singapore, although short - is still a
delight. I managed to catch up with a sweet friend who is Malaysian,
who I met in London, who just happened to be passing through the same
dates as me for a job interview. Funny how life works out to give you
friends all over the world. Its just grand.

As I'm getting hour by hour, closer to my departure time for New
Zealand, my heart gets more and more excited. I just can't wait to get
on that plane! I kind of am like 'ok, I'm done being on holiday, I
just want to go home now'. It feels like this past 3 years have just
been one giant holiday. Yes, I remember that I have worked, and been
on trips to Uganda, India and Vietnam to do work that is on my heart
to do...but it still feels so like I've been blessed with an amazing 3
years of holiday. I won't try too hard to remember the incredibly
tough times that I faced...but I will continue to bask in this holiday
glory.

Ahhhhhh.

Off to Kiwi land I go.

Vietnam

2010-12-16T02:39:00.000Z

I like food. Yes, I admit it, I even love food. It brings me such pleasure to taste the infusions in my mouth, to try new things, have spices and flavours just rolling around in there. It’s so good. My Vietnamese experience has been somewhat of a taste sensation, such beautiful fresh and crispy flavours, as well as some fiery little red chillis to spice things up, it has been a delight every meal that is for sure. I find myself looking for the place that I will next have my meal, constantly thinking about my stomach, or more like what concoction my taste buds will experience. I don’t know how I have managed to fit 3 to 4 courses in at one sitting, but I have mastered the art it seems. I look forward to every course like I am 5 years old on Christmas Eve, anticipating the arrival of Santas’ glory the next morning. I have had so many delightful meals, in ‘Western’ style restaurants, Not for Profit run restaurants to train and teach street kids, side of the road joints, food carts being pulled by sweet old ladies, fish markets, and in a family home, and I can safely say that I have thoroughly enjoyed every one.

One morning while in Hoi An, I rose early to go to the markets, where they start their trade at an early 4am when the first of the fishing boats start rowing in their catch of the night. With fish still jumping out of the boat for one try at their last escape, they haul the fish up on the docks and crowds from restaurants start to barter for the cheapest price from the lowly fishermen. It is ridiculous the prices here, it’s not worth mentioning because it will get you all mad and jealous that in the western world we pay far too much, and we can barely get them straight off the boat like this. The freshest and most delicious array that you can possibly imagine are soon all over the markets, getting sliced and diced and sold to the locals.

One of my favourite meals I ate was a whole fish that was wrapped and baked in a banana leaf, with some herbs incrusted over it and fresh lime, it is a taste that can only be described as fishy heaven. I have no idea of what the herbs and the spices were, and when I asked they could only provide me with the Vietnamese names, but I figured I didn’t need to know since I could never cook it as good as they just did.

(Don’t worry - this is the part about food, I will get serious soon but for the time being, I hope that you’re not hungry!)

A dessert that I tried that I can still imagine tasting in the back of my mouth was a crème brulee, but infused with ginger and lemongrass. Oh. My. Goodness. Don’t even try to give me another crème brulee in my life if it doesn’t have this combination.

‘Streets’ was the name of a restaurant that I went to that was started and run by an American Buddhist, he has a heart and connection with Vietnam so has decided to start a Not for Profit organization here for abandoned kids who are living on the street. He has started a cooking school to give them a skill and has opened a restaurant so that these young teenagers and adults will learn the hospitality industry. They work there for a fair wage, as it is a not for profit so all the money after expenses literally go to these kids. It is such a fantastically run place, the kids are so welcoming, friendly and appreciative of what this opportunity has given to them. The owner (who for the life of me, can’t remember his name) comes to every table to welcome you, suggest an item off the menu and wants to know your story, why you came to Vietnam, how you’re enjoying it etc. It is the best hospitality I have ever received at a restaurant before and it was an absolute pleasure paying my bill at the end. The food was pretty spectacular as well.

Wandering the streets has been a delight as well, I have met so many funny people in the most random ways and the hospitality of the Vietnamese is so wonderful. I was going down a dead end alley way on my bicycle (it looked like it might be an exit), and one sweet woman called out to me ‘Wong Way!’, so I stopped and talked to her for a while. She invited me back the next day to cook and eat lunch with her, what could I say? So, I accepted her gracious invitation to welcome a complete stranger into her home and she said ‘ok, you meet my husband too’. I arrived the following morning at 10am like we arranged, and out comes a 59 year old Australian man from the house! So it turns out that this 29 year old Vietnamese woman is ‘married’ to this man. I say ‘married’ because they just pose as being married, since it is very against their traditional culture of not living together before you’re married. They get less hassle this way. So off to the markets we went to purchase a whole array of fruits, veges, herbs, fish and meat to cook, which in total cost less than US$5. I listened to her story while we cooked and obviously asked a lot of questions since the situation seemed so typical…an old, lonely western man wants a wife, man comes to Asian country to seek wife (younger and prettier of course!), man gets wife, wife gets visa. I know it’s a huge generalization of me and I automatically put them in that category (to which, sadly, they really do belong). We all ate lunch together in this awkward, ‘ewwww, you look like my granddad and your new wife is younger than your youngest kid’, state of conversation and sometimes it got the better of me and I just smiled and held my tongue. They were pleasant though. Thu, who is the woman, has a daughter who is 9 years old, she was once married to a Vietnamese man but he did the dirty on her and then ran off to America with a new woman. Since then, she has had to work for a little less than US$140 per month to care for her mother and daughter and so her daughter actually lives with her mother. It’s all very confusing. Steve, the Australian man, has 2 children back in oz who are in their thirties and have 2 children each. Steve and Thu plan to move to Australia soon, once Thu’s visa is approved, and they will leave the mother and daughter behind. Thu told me that this was her choice.

The whole situation just made my head want to explode. Hearing the stories and watching the documentaries of so many ‘mail order brides’ or the likes, and meeting the real deal for myself. It made me so sad that they were going to leave behind her mother and daughter…how would they survive? To me it sounded like sheer abandonment, but I guess you have to do what you have to do when you’re in a desperate situation. I don’t judge them for it, actually that’s not entirely true…I judge him a little for it, but then again, I guess it’s not really my job.

In a very oppressive country, in all aspects like governance, religion, gender inequality and steeped in generational traditions, it is very hard to have any peace or freedom in the choices that you make. My friends, Ross and Nicole Anderson, have been here for almost 2 years and have tried to participate in a church body that was for expats, but due to strict control, police will not tolerate Vietnamese and Westerners experiencing religion together. So the alternative to reaching the Vietnamese is underground or illegal churches. So, they started one! I found myself in an underground, secret church where they have to change their location every week so that police don’t get suspicious about having regular ‘mixed’ meetings. It was a fantastic experience, and actually in a country that has barely any freedom in religion when it comes to Christianity, these smaller, home sized groups work much better for this environment. It was a privilege being able to experience this part of the journey with them.

Through the work that they’re doing here with the ‘fellowship’ and other outreaches, I’ve also had the privilege of visiting an orphanage, or better described as a shelter until they can find these kids a home. A wonderful elderly couple, of a Vietnamese-American mix have a massive heart for abandoned children of Saigon, so what began as taking a baby or 2 into their home and nursing them, has become over 13 shelters and housing around 250 children. They are very basic and don’t leave much to be desired for, but they are a home for kids that otherwise don’t have one. This old couple house the babies in their own home – being older than normal retirement age, this couple take in new babies and are their parents, I can’t imagine being that old and doing the mum and dad thing! So they are real troopers for Jesus, in total obedience to Him. Anyway, once the children get old enough to manage in a shelter, they place them in one that they have started. I managed to get to one of these shelters and the kids were so happy, so full of life and so, so cute. It was great to interact, to be there and to hear their stories. Sad story, after sad story…but transformed – and continuing to be transformed into a powerful story of God’s love and grace. There were some really great things about the place, but some really sad things too. They are not raising many funds from people overseas, so what they have is all they’ve got, kind of a deal. There aren’t many resources to spread around the homes and food is expensive when you’re feeding 30 kids in each shelter. They have a teacher coming to the shelter to teach them, but very basic when you consider the vast needs. Many of these children do not have documentation, so in the governments eyes, they do not exist. They are not entitled to education, dental and health care or basic rights until they have proper documentation. As you can imagine – it’s a constant struggle and fight against the very corrupt and inflexible government.

I adopted a wee boy as my God son, as I was leaving the shelter, this particular boy ran up to me and put a simple pink beaded necklace around my neck that he had made during the arts and crafts session. He was so proud of it and wanted to give it to me. This touched me deeply and I asked if I could adopt this little boy into my life. At the moment, he has an ear infection that he has had for many weeks, it is so bad that green ooze is spilling from his ear. It doesn’t seem to bother him much, apart from the fact that it is causing him trouble to hear. Health care is very expensive here and it is sad to see children in such a state, but hopefully now that we are aware of it, we can help him.

There are opportunities for people to adopt a wee life into your family as well. Ross, Nicole and a team they’ve got around them are currently trying to set up an official NGO, but with the governments zero tolerance on Christian organizations, it is proving to be difficult, but hopefully soon they will see the vast need of the communities they’re reaching and have mercy on the aid organizations. For the moment, it is encouraging children through writing to them and praying for them. It is a wonderful opportunity for people to enlarge their lives with some Vietnamese children, and at the moment, it will bear no financial burden on you…which is a plus for me since next year I will be studying and my financial life will be more difficult. They’re excited about leaving it open and seeing what God does, and if you feel in particular seasons that you want to give, then that will truly bless them.

Marie, who is French-Vietnamese woman, is leading this particular part and it is called Hand of Love. If anyone wants to adopt a sweet little child into your lives, then please let me know so I can pass on your details to Marie. Her main request is that you just pray for the child and the work that will continue to be done here in Siagon.

I am excited about the prospect of being a part of something in the beginning stages, of seeing what God is capable of doing in such a hardened country, in these kids lives and how big this thing really gets. But what is more exciting to me, is because we paid a visit, one life is changed, one kid will get some medical help (Nicole is a doctor!) and one kid becomes a part of my world.

The famous saying that my pastor in London says is ‘We can’t do everything, but we can do something’ resonates deep within me when I think about this. I love the realness of that statement. It is true, we can’t do everything, our visions often want to do everything then we often do nothing because it’s all too hard. But we can do something, and I refuse to sit by, comfortable with my life and pretend that other things don’t exist. They simple do, and we are not called to live a comfortable live, but one of surrender to Christ. Really…what would He do?

Indias Magic

2010-12-06T10:19:00.001Z

Somehow in the chaos and confusion that consumes you when you enter Mumbai, you fall in love with it. I don’t know how it happens, or why it happened to me, but it has.

From the first time I took a rickshaw, I fell in love with Mumbai. I’m not sure why it was that experience that gave me a depth and admiration for that city, because logically it would be a death defying and terrible experience for any westerner, but maybe just experiencing life as the locals do was the best thing for me. I was a little nervous, those crazy 3 wheeler things that buzz around the city, weaving in and out of traffic (not very carefully) can be dangerous, scary and you feel like you can come within an inch of your life on most occasions. I was proud of myself, I did it. I flagged it down, I told him where I wanted to go, I got there, gave him the right amount of money and I had no help. I felt it was a small miracle, and for the first time in the four days that I was there, it made me smile from a deep place that I hadn’t smiled from.

‘I can do this’ resonated from deep within.

That was the first sign.

The first weekend that I was there, it was Diwali (the Hindu New Year celebration, name the festival of lights), the streets were bright, ornamented with flowers, colours and lights. Every street corner was cracking with fireworks and the night sky was lit with beautiful sparks of colour and festivities. The people were buzzing in celebration and the atmosphere was wonderful, almost electric. People were happy and smiling and taking their time to admire lights and colours and beauty in what could be classified as a very ugly city. People took pride in the floral arrangements and decorations, they were adorned on cars and windows and buildings and doors, and such time and care was taken in preparing the lovely decorations. It was the India that we would imagine, or at least it is what I imagined. Bright, vibrant and very alive, and I was happy to meet it. Firecrackers and works began early morning on the Friday – I jumped alarmingly out of my bed when the first explosion woke me at 5am. Thinking it was a bomb that had exploded, I cautiously looked out of my window expecting to see some burning buildings, but to my surprise, I saw fireworks being sent into the early morning sky, then hearing the crackles and bangs made everything fall into place. For the 72 hours of the weekend, I don’t think there was one that was not filled with mini explosions, all through the night and day, hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of firecrackers were lit. Most people liked to put them under a bridge or flyover to get a full echo effect and to see them light up the darkness, there seemed to be a sort of competition to see whose was the loudest, brightest and best.

The famous Indian head wobble is another endearing and beautiful thing here. It is hard to describe what it is, but if you imagine one of those silly little dash board dogs that their heads wobble from side to side when the car moves, that is kind of what it’s like. The Indians have this sweet way of communicating with each other using the head wobble, any sign of agreement, encouragement, understanding and instructions will be given and received using this head wobble from side to side gesture. It means so many things, I’m happy with you, ok, I understand, yes, please, thank you, goodbye, nice to see you and so it continues. They use it when they laugh, when they make jokes, when they’re talking, when they’re making plans, when they’re giving instructions, and I’ve even seen it when they’re talking to someone on the phone! It is sweet and so unique and special to Indian culture (in my experiences of the world so far). I have caught myself doing it also and it has made me just appreciate it that much more and has connected me to the people.

It seemed to be a well known thing that everything runs on ‘Indian time’ so when making plans, I learned very quickly to be there at least an hour after we arranged and I would still be early, on one occasion, I was on time and the group of people I was meeting were 3 hours later, to which they then asked me why I was so early! For me, it was all a part of the Indian experience, you had to embrace it or it would never work for you.

Unsystematic, unorganized and chaotic seem to be three words that I would easily describe my experience of India to be. I had the absolute delight (I seriously mean delight) of going to a police station with a friend to make a report of a stolen phone, and I was in awe of the unstructured chaos that was so evident in the tiny building. Waiting outside the small office, was a line of more than 20 people waiting to see an officer, while in the room were at least 7 police sitting around behind their empty desks literally doing nothing but checking their phones and talking to each other. As soon as they noticed that we were there, they ushered us into the room. Soon there was a gathering all around us of police and locals wanting to find out the story of why we were there. They couldn’t understand why we were reporting a phone loss, but we were stern with them that we needed a police report for insurance reasons. After a small discussion amongst themselves, they handed us a piece of blank A4 paper and told us to write it down ourselves and they would sign it. With no computers, log books or any sort of filing system, I saw one officer slide a piece of paperwork between the desk and the wall and watched it fall to the ground. I thought that was one great way to deal with paperwork. I so enjoyed the people watching in that experience.

I don’t think people have defined jobs, and several times I saw signs such as ‘caution, men at work’ and then next to it were 20 men drinking tea and having a chat. Or I have seen one man with a drill and 7 men looking over his shoulder and making sure he has the moral support to complete the job. There will always be a bunch of gardeners and then a supervisor literally standing over them watching their work, or behind a counter there would be 4 men working the one till and taking your order. You never know what person you needed to talk to in order to get anything done.

Not too far from my humble little room that I called home, was a new mall with a lovely coffee shop in it. Whenever I needed my western comforts after a long day on the Vision Rescue bus, or on a Saturday morning, I popped down to the mall and had a coffee. After only my second visit, the staff remembered me and my name and so every time I went in there, they would see me walking up, start waving, smiling and calling out ‘Hello Miss Corrina!’. It was so sweet and another reason why I have come to love this crazy city called Mumbai.

‘It is people, it is people, it is people.'

It was a quote that was used all the time by my Maori lecturer in college, and it is only now that I am really beginning to understand those very simple, but powerful words. In some ways it is the only way I can really define why I love to explore this beautiful world of ours, and it is the only way I can describe some of the best experiences in life I have ever had. I thought it was a silly and meaningless quote, but now I understand the power and truth in it. Something seemingly so small can impact a life so much – and how? Through people.

The Indian people are beautiful, welcoming, appreciative, humbled that you want to be there, excited, joyful and truly genuine. From being invited into homes of the people that we were reaching on the streets, invited to participate in a meal and seeing them giving completely out of their need and lack, to being invited to a humble, single room home of a teacher, I have been completely and utterly touched. This, so far has been the most extreme poverty that I have encountered, but the more extreme I seem to experience, the more generous and welcoming people I seem to come across. All the people I met and was invited into their space, were so enthused that I would come and be with them, they wanted to serve me and give to me as best as they could, and they counted it as an absolute honour to have me in their home.

So, it is with sadness and joy that I have departed the shores of India. Firmly planted in my heart and life, I know I will be back and be able to connect with such wonderful people again. I love that life has such an incredible way of unfolding layers upon layers of things you truly never expected to experience, and you India, were one of them. I hope through this journey of mine, that you have also had a piece of India enter into your hearts and lives…there’s so much more to it than these few words and experiences that I have shared, but too much for words to express. Simply put – you must experience the wonders for yourself.

Last Teacher Training

2010-11-29T07:42:00.002Z

On Friday, I concluded the teacher training that I have had the
privilege of doing. I gave each teacher a clear file of all the notes
from the training, new songs, games, copies of the new planning format
and they were so stoked. A clear file that was organised and brought
for them, each. The delight on their faces was beautiful when I asked
them to write their names on the front with a permanent marker and I
think they finally felt worth something.

After going through the paper stuff, we just played games and had fun
together, I wanted to keep the mood light and let them know that they
can really enjoy themselves in an extremely hard and taxing job.

Over the few weeks that I have been having the training sessions, I
have seen people lighten up, relax and open up a whole lot. From the
first session, I felt they were cold, worried about what others would
think, they wouldn't participate like I wanted them to. Slowly,
they've come out of their shells, I have demanded it from them and it
has been invaluable for them as people and them as teachers. On Friday
I saw them laughing in hysterics, not caring about how they look or
what others think, completely letting their guards down and not being
afraid. It was such a freeing experience for everyone, and such a
beautiful sight for me.

I really felt in that moment, as I got one of the teachers to lead a
game I had just taught and seeing everyone roll in laughter, that I
had really done something here. If that's all I did, and that's all
that they remember, then I am happy with that.

At the end of the training, I gave the Kindergarten teachers the large
pack of goodies that I had made for each of them, including maths,
phonics and english resources, story books, toys, puzzles and other
things for developing language, personal skills and relationships and
the smiles were again, so impacting. Something that seemed so little
and small on my end will impact their ability to teach greatly, and it
only took a few thousand Indian Rupees per pack and a few days of
planning and organisation to make it happen.

My main work has been to develop a working model for the Kindergarten
programme as it is so new, but greatly needed. It has been fun taking
something from absolutely nothing, and moulding it into something that
will really work, putting resources and skills in the teachers hands,
and seeing them run with it, with enthusiasm. I really hope that it is
only the beginning of something great, that will take on its own shape
and continue to grow and adapt where it needs to.

I also purchased some more hands on resources for the buses like story
books, measuring tapes etc and gave the teachers them as well. The
need was not as great as it was for the KG team, so I was pleased to
be able to give to that. Don't get me wrong, the need is still so
great...but for the time and money that I had received to put into it,
that is what I was able to do and it was greatly appreciated.

So to all the people that so generously gave, that is what you gave
to. And now, in the Kindergarten programme, over 200 2-5 year olds
that they see per day will get hands on resources and activities to
see and do every day instead of sitting on a mat waiting for their
food. It seems worthy when you see the 200 precious little faces.

Sightseeing and the Temple Gates

2010-11-25T06:27:00.002Z

Sightseeing has not been on my agenda for this trip, so it is a

welcomed but also interesting experience.

So far in India, I have really experienced life as a local and have
definitely not been to the sights, treated like a tourist or even
behaved like a tourist. This weekend I was thrown into a whirlwind of
something different, of how most foreigners view this country.

After being scammed, ripped off and taken for a ride, I can
comfortably say that my trip here could not have been complete without it and has added a beautiful dimension to my stay. From touts sending you in a direction of a 'tourist information' centre, where they are on commission for any things that they manage to talk you in to.

Rickshaw and taxi drivers who literally times their fare by at least 5
for anyone that looks different, or men in the market groping you
because they think they can...it all somehow makes India beautiful,
unique and intriguing.

India is wonderfully disorganised, and I don't even know if they know
it. It is something that you resolve to and it all becomes a part of
your India experience. Standing in the train station line to buy
tickets to Agra is a prime example of how un systematic their
'systems' are. Out of 20 lanes open, one was for woman, I joined the
back of the line and was quickly squeezed forward by another that
joined behind me. Suddenly, wrapping her arms around my waist and
holding me, I was alarmed at this stranger and her serious lack in
physical boundaries, then I glanced forward and noticed that every
woman in line was doing this and soon it became apparent why.

Woman try to push and barge their way to the front or try to get others to
buy their tickets so woman stand strong, united in their line
formation and determined to keep their places. But as I got closer and
closer to the front I noticed all these people that seemed to be
'legitimately' pushing in, and it seems that they were allowed to by
the strong woman standing their ground. Men and woman were pushing
their way to the front, crowding the window and buying tickets on the
side of where the actual line was and I then found out that these
people are buying coupons. So, you can board a train with coupons or
tickets, if you're buying a ticket then you have to line up, but ifyou're buying coupons you have every right to push your way forward. So why doesn't everyone buy coupons?! After a long, squished wait time of 50 minutes, I finally arrived at the front and was told I was in
the wrong line. Hah! I assumed I was in the right line since it was
the only womans, and this is where they sold train tickets. But...this
is only where they sold train tickets to Indians, and I had to
therefore go to the International Tourist Bureau to get my more
overpriced tickets. I went there and it was closed. A friendly
gentleman pointed me to another one which just happened to be where he
worked.

To cut a long story short, it ended up that I hired a private car with
a friend, to take us to Agra which is where the Taj Mahal is. No
trains were available and I needed to do it, I came here to do it. So,
after dodging traffic for 4 1/2 hours on a long, straight and busy
road, I found myself standing at the gate of the mighty Taj.

Included in the car price was a guide and he met us there, we walked
in and we were faced with the images that we had seen all our lives.
The beauty was inescapable and every bit as amazing as you would
imagine. Except, I got to see it in person, with my own eyes and it
came alive...off the paper and it was so breathtaking. We did not have
a beautiful blue sky, but one of white fog and it seemed it gently
blended into the background, but yet protrudes out to meet you.

It is just a sight, it is just something else in this world that isbeautiful, but I'm glad that I got to experience and see it. Like the
pyramids of Egypt, the structures of Olympia, Vatican City and ancient
Rome and the white terraces of Pammukale, they will be a once in a
lifetime trip. I won't come here or do this again - so it is fun that
I have been.

I also have had time to explore Old Delhi, with forts, tombs, mosques,
temples and bad electric wiring, with streets and rows of buildings
connected by hundreds of lines of electricity between them, crossing
roads and dangling from every corner. I was able to imagine how life
was, and really how life still is for many, many people.

One scene really threw me back to bible times actually. There was a
long, narrow road with markets down either side, bustling with people,
children and all sorts of livestock. There were areas of grass that
people were selling their most prized goats, pigs and chickens, and it
was buzzing with life. At the very top of the road was a temple, up
raised on a hill and overlooking the market place. After moving my way
through the busy, non-touristy market, climbing the stairs and going
into the temple, I came out of the gate around 3pm, and there, sitting
right at the gate were lame men - blind and deformed. Immediately I
was taken to the passage at the gate called Beautiful where Peter
called upon the man to 'Look at us!...Silver and gold I do not have,
but what I do have I give to you'.

As I slowly walked away, I was contemplating that story, the whole
scene that I was just in that almost mirrored exactly what Peter had
encountered that day, and I was disappointed in myself. Here I am -
having the answer to abundant and beautiful life, full of grace and
freedom and I did not have to boldness or tenacity to simply say 'look
at me!' and help them up.

Imagine if I did?

What would happen?

Would the Lord heal them?

Would the men turn to faith in Christ?

Would it mean that the people would be in 'awe and wonder'?

It just makes you think...

It makes me believe that it is possible. It gets me excited and expectant.

Look at me! There is power in that.

Proverbs 10:12

2010-11-24T14:15:00.001Z

I am sitting here in Mumbai, India, at Gloria Jean's coffee shop and
am having a moment of peace and solitude from a crazy city outside of
these walls. I am reading my bible and these words are hitting me deep
in my heart.

"Hatred stirs up dissension,
but love covers over all wrongs."

Dissension. I don't even really know the full extent of what that word
means, but I know that it is not pleasant. In my heart I know that
hatred is simply a lack of love - it is not the intense word that we
use in todays society, and I really believe that everything that lacks
love is hate. I know that there are some people that I am finding hard
to love at the moment, does that mean hatred? I know I would never say
that, but is that how God sees it? Is that how He views my heart when
it comes to people that I'm finding difficult to love? I really hope
not, but I'm pleased that the next part of the verse says what it
does.

Love covers over all wrongs. Wow. My wrongs, your wrongs and everyones
wrongs. Love, His love, and our love for each other. It covers all
wrongs...not some, but ALL. That's crazy and unimaginable as I sit
here and think of all the wrongs that go on inside me on a daily
basis, all wrongs that other people do to me and I do to them, all
wrongs that are done in this city that I am experiencing. All wrongs,
all wrongs, all wrongs.

It doesn't say that love will fix all wrongs...but covers. I think
that is incredible and so against the culture that we live in. We live
in a fixing culture, where everything needs to be perfect and
wonderful and if it is not, then we need to change something about our
lives, or circumstances, or get new friends, or shelter our existence
instead of really battling through it.
Love covers...I imagine the Lord spreading out a blanket over my life,
my wrongs, my thoughts, my feelings, my hurts, my troubles, wrongs
done against me. He doesn't fix it, doesn't make them go away, I still
have consequences of my thoughts and actions but He covers, He covers
it with His love, grace and mercy.

I imagine a blanket being tenderly pulled over this city and all the
tragic wrongs that are done here in peoples lives and to the people.
Some have no control over it, some are beaten, killed and controlled
by terrible people wanting to make money or because of power. Some
young girls and children are trafficked and broken and made to service
disgusting men for their pleasure. Some people and families are forced
on the street because of unfair treatment in their workplaces. Some
come to find a better life, expecting promises to be filled, only to
be shown the true reality of what it means to live here and what was
'the city of dreams' soon becomes that of nightmares as they find
themselves wrapped up in evil. Some have known nothing else than to be
living on the kerb eating gutter food. Through it all, I see Jesus and
His mercy and kindness and He is kissing this city, He is covering it
with His enduring love.

Somehow, love covers this city and people will know Love. Love is
covering, but now needs to be poured out. He needs His church, His
people to rise up and to be His hands and feet and to show 'kindness
and mercy' to those who are so desperately in need of it.

People might not want it. People might not appreciate or value it the
same way in which we do. But nevertheless, it is a command. To love
our neighbour is not a small, medial task, but a mighty one and one
that Jesus and His apostles so wonderfully modelled to us. They went
to the dirty, unclean, seemingly un loveable people as well as their
friends, family and people who were similar to them. To love our
neighbour is not to just love the person that is easy for us to love,
it is to love all people. That is huge for me and I know I can't do it
without His empowering grace. In my humanity I will struggle, but in
His bounty of grace and love I know that it is possible.

It has to be possible, otherwise He would not have commanded it.

So, imagine today, God spreading His cover of love over all the wrongs
that you have experienced in life, that others have experienced, that
your city is experiencing and that this world is experiencing. See him
gently spreading the cover over us and thank Him, love Him and love
your neighbour.

Training, Kids and Other Things.

2010-11-18T08:39:00.004Z

This week is week 3, and actually, it’s almost the end of week 3! I cannot believe that my time here has ended up going so fast. I guess the days are long, but the weeks are fast. Or that seems to be my feelings when I get home each night, exhausted, hot, dirty, and in desperate need of a shower. My very rusty and corroded faucet and shower head have proved to be very worthy of my praise and I have set up a little offering to it. Haha, just kidding…but seriously, if ever I was going to have a false idol, this glorious shower at the end of the day would be it.

This week has been a little different, some training sessions with the teachers and a lot of admin for me and only one day in the buses with the kids. I guess it’s getting to that point of the trip where I really have to set in stone the things that I have done, so I have been busy writing curriculum, useable planning formats, songs, games, translating to Hindi and I feel very much like a one man band doing everything. But I feel capable, not out of my depths and very secure in what I am doing. It is such a great feeling, because I know that I am definitely being used by God, and the things that I am setting in place and training them in are going to have huge implications in such a positive way. It’s fun knowing that I get to be the ‘behind the scenes’ person in helping them reach over 600 kids per day with education, Jesus and food.

Yesterday I had a 2 hour training session with the Kindergarten teachers, it went extremely well. I was so happy with their receptive hearts, and there was an atmosphere that was so glad, and I almost felt them have a sigh of relief as they were so happy to really have something to go with instead of wandering in the wilderness as they have been. The KG teachers are absolutely fantastic and they love to be with the kids, and in this ministry. They are enthusiastic and energetic with the children, but they have lacked such direction since they have not had any training. All the previous training that has been done has been with the teachers who target the 5-14 year age bracket, so they really just felt like they were ‘entertaining’ the children and not really inputting into their lives and education. I shared a new planning format that will help their preparation, and give them direction. I also gave them a ‘mini-curriculum’ with ideas for areas of learning that they need to head towards. They were very encouraged and thankful to have that particular direction, and stoked that I did not leave them hanging with no ideas and gave that extra support. It would be all very well and great of me if I just trained them in how to use the planning, but they would still have that stuck feeling like they didn’t know where they were going, so this way it gives them skills and resources to fall back on.
After sharing all those things, planning a model lesson together and doing a model lesson together, I shared some other ideas in using just a ‘bag of tricks’ as I have called it. It is a bag of toys, objects and a lot of random things like sandpaper, to create discussion, developing language and also using some thinking skills that will hopefully get the children to be more interactive and alive in the lessons.

The children here are interesting, and it is quite hard for me to watch. Their life is hard, it is not fair and there are so many wrongs with it. But the one thing that breaks my heart, is that the children here are completely under stimulated. In the western world, our kids can often be so far over stimulated that it has created this highly stimulated and entertainment driven generation, but here, I can’t even explain it. Some of these children will sit on the small mat hunched over, limpy and lifeless and no matter how much you try and coax them into doing some actions or singing some songs, they will not. Their little lives have created it, they are simply left on the side of the road on a mat and are required to sit there, to not play, to not move. The parents sleep, lie down, don’t move, don’t do much at all and that is the life that is modeled to them. They have seen it from such a young age, and they copy. They have extreme internal boredom and literally no skills or knowledge of how to think, create play, or do anything but to sit. I can’t imagine how it affects you in such a deep way, and by the evidence that I have seen here, I know the type of society it produces. There is nothing healthy about it. It is probably the most tragic thing that I have seen here.

So, going into the slums and teaching has more barriers than you can imagine. They are up against so many obstacles, but they remain faithful, positive and in the knowledge that God has called them to be there and to do His work.

Did I ever mention that they use 75kgs or rice per day? PER DAY!

I have 2 weeks left here in India before I head out to Vietnam to see what is going on there. I am going to take a little break from Vision Rescue work for 5 days and this weekend I will head up to Delhi and see that area. I will also travel to Agra and see the beautiful Taj Mahal…how can you come to India and not see it right?! So that will be a fun adventure, and I have a travel companion as well which will be nice. A mutual friend hooked it up so that is great to have a little company.

I hope that you’re all keeping Vision Rescue alive in your hearts.

My short glimpse at my week

2010-11-17T08:49:00.003Z

Internet is very sparse around here - I only manage to get on it every
4-5 days, but I have found a new system that works - in my down time I
can write and save emails, then send them when I get to an internet
connection. The discovery has blessed me! So right now, I am lying in
my room, fan going, windows open and the monsoon rains falling. It
has, for the first time, created a cool breeze into my room and I am
enjoying it very much. Tomorrow I am going to meet with 2 woman who
live here with their husbands who work for British Gas, they have
invited me to have coffee with them tomorrow, so that will be really
nice to have the contact with my western comforts of living. I am
taking 2 more training sessions for the teachers this week...the first
one for the Kindergarten teachers, in which I have developed a
curriculum and a method of planning for them that I will train them
on. The KG part of Vision Rescue is very new and the teachers have
zero direction, so my prayer is that this will give them something to
lean on and give them more structure as I have seen them sitting there
literally doing nothing at times.

On Friday I will continue the training with the Primary teachers, I
have developed their planning formats so that it is much more straight
forward and easier to digest. I will also be teaching them to interact
with the children in a more positive and lively manner so engage them
in the learning. So...keep all those in your thoughts and prayers. As
always, there is some trepidation about new ideas and ways of doing
things so I would love open hearts and ears.

Introducing Roshan

2010-11-16T11:48:00.002Z

Roshan is an amazing guy that was rescued off the streets of Mumbai.
As he sat outside the kitchen where we prepare the meals for all the
buses, in broken English, he started to share his story with me. I was
truly blessed, and I think that you will be too.

From a very young age Roshan was homeless and parent-less, with no
mother or father, this tiny child had to fend for himself in a pretty
hectic city where there is so much desperation and need. For years and
years he was his own keeper, he had no one to lean on, or rely on. He
was his own family, he kept himself alive and provided for himself.
When the boys at Vision Rescue found him, he was sleeping in the
gutter and also eating the 'gutter food', as he called it, as he
gestured putting his hand in his mouth. He told me he had a Muslim
background, and this new Jesus that they shared with him was
refreshing, they continued to visit him on the streets everyday, would
give him food and talk to him about Jesus. At the time he was also
hooked on 'brown sugar' as he called it, which I assume is some kind
of drugs. Vision Rescue encouraged him to get clean and provided ways
for that to happen. The team took him in to their homes, and now 5
years later, he loves Jesus, is working in the kitchen, has great
relationships with the others that he works with, is drug free, and is
also learning to read and write, which he has never had the
opportunity to do.

With a tear in his eye, Roshan told me that I am his family and calls
me sister, and he told me that all of the people at Vision Rescue are
his family, he now has a father and mother, brothers and sisters and
he is so blessed.

Roshan, along with about 10 guys live in one room next to the kitchen.
This, for him and all of the other men that have been rescued and
found their way there, is luxury. It is luxury in more ways than one,
as it is more than just shelter and food. It is relationship, it is
family and it is functioning. They work, live and play together, they
have purpose and vision and hope for their lives.

Roshan has such joy in his heart that can only be described as
experiencing Jesus. He is a new man, a new creation and he is
wonderful. He constantly talks about Jesus, both in the Hindi language
and broken English. Someone recently gave him a phone and loaded an
audio bible on it so now he plays his bible out loud everywhere he
goes as well as some worship songs.

Roshans life challenges me to be so thankful and to find joy in all
circumstances, celebrating Jesus continually, and I hope it does for
you too.

I don't know why it was Roshan that was picked up off the streets, but
I know he is literally one in a million. Think how many other stories
could be set on a new path like Roshan if we just did
something...anything.

Link to photos...

2010-11-15T13:10:00.000Z

Hopefully this will work?!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=324148&id=593397305&l=45b24d0a29

Dental Van Miracles

2010-11-15T10:36:00.002Z

For a lot of Indians (and the rest of the world), dental care is very
expensive. So, people neglect their teeth, and in the slums, they do
not know basic hygiene and very few even brush their teeth.

I had the privilege of spending the day in the Dental van that Vision
Rescue have started as just one of their many initiatives to fight
poverty in this city.

This little boy in the picture, came in with very decayed,
brown and broken teeth - even his front ones. After a little over an
hour of work from the amazing dentist here, his front teeth were built
up, restored and are now white. His mouth looks more normal, and
because of this he will not be ashamed to smile.

I have seen many people come and go today, smiles brightened, and some
still in pain. Services are limited on the van but they really do
everything that they can. I got to assist and help prepare fillings
and generally was in the dentists way. It was quite fun.

The second picture is the view from the van today.

Just a day in the life of what happens here at Vision Rescue.

New Perspectives..

2010-11-09T12:27:00.000Z

Week 2 has begun with much more anticipation and grace from my end. I
was excited to get on the buses, see the children, see the work and
just have some good times.

From this week will see me doing 2 training sessions per week for all
the teachers. My aim is to keep it light, vision filled and refreshing
because I know that the last things the teachers want to do after a
big day on their bus, is to come back and sit down and have to
concentrate again. So on Wednesday I will take the first session, and
we will talk about memorable teachers, how to interact so you will be
memorable, speaking value into these precious children and just
generally being Jesus to them. My intent is to keep them positive
about what they're doing and knowing that the sacrifices they make are
changing lives. So I would appreciate that you would pray that they
would have ears to hear and that I can speak into their lives.

From there, my intent over the next few sessions is to give them more
practical ideas for games, songs and interactive activities that will
help build relationships between the teacher, but also between the
children. The major thing that I have noticed is that the children
don't know how to play together or work together so I think that is a
major challenge for them.

Next I will spend some time on planning, giving them more strategies
to be able to teach these kids. Since the teachers have no formal
training, they don't have prior knowledge to lean on. I hope to give
them skills to be able to think outside the box and also to rely on
each others strengths and to help each other plan.

Rajesh, who is the Vision Rescue director, really wants me to be able
to address getting a balance between having fun, being interactive and
also the learning that needs to take place so I think that all the
things I will be touching on will bring a good balance for them.

With some of the money that has been donated, I am making phonics
packs for the buses as they are teaching them English through phonics.
I will be purchasing items that will mean their lessons are more
interactive and child centred rather than teacher directed. I am also
going to be buying tape measures and rulers for every bus, and enough
to share between 2, as their maths programme is also very teacher
directed, and hopefully measurement will be within their comfort
levels to teach, stretch them a little, but also really bless the kids
to have something hands on. They have no Hindi picture books so I will
be buying around 25 to share between the buses that can be rotated, as
we all know, story is such a brilliant way to capture childrens hearts
and minds. There are a few other things that I intend to buy as well,
but I will give the remainder of the money that is left over to Pastor
Biju at the end of my trip which will bless them.

So with all that in mind, I ask you to continue to pray, read and ask
God to be with me as I do this stuff.

On a daily basis, it is still intense because for 8 hours a day we
drive into the most perverse and sickening way of living and no human
on the face of this planet should have to live, breath, eat and
function in this way. It saddens me that literally millions, in this
city alone, live in such a way.

So there you have it!

Nothing Like a Fresh Curry

2010-11-06T08:24:00.000Z

Yum.

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Weekend of Festivities

2010-11-06T06:09:00.001Z

On Friday there was a festival called Diwali here, which is the festival of lights. All the streets are adorned with beautiful lights, flower garlands and bright, vibrant colours. It is how I 'imagined' India to be before experiencing the reality of how a lot of people live.

During the festival, there are literally fireworks and crackers on every street corner, from the top of every building and they light up the sky like nothing I've ever seen. It first terrified me, I awoke at 5am literally thinking that a bomb had gone off because the explosion of fireworks was so loud. Soon after the first one was a second, and a third and then I remembered the sounds of what I thought were shotguns the night before and I pieced all the puzzle together. It amazed me that they had started their celebrations so early and carried it on throughout the day, and long into the wee hours of the morning. Practically 24 hours of explosion going on around me, I got used to it and put it down as the craziness that is Mumbai. I couldn't imagine that President Obamas team would enjoy it so, as they would be put on high alert from the 'explosions' that are going on all through Mumbai. I guess they didn't really think that one through as they planned his trip for this weekend. It just kinda makes me giggle.

I am over my mini-meltdown and I have renewed hope for this trip. I am excited about the things that I will get to impart into the teaching team and also get to experience while on the buses. My 'observing' time is over and on Monday I will get stuck into some planning, teaching, gathering and making resources and hopefully making life somewhat easier for these untrained, but very capable teachers. I can't imagine doing what they're doing without any training, it is truly brave and courageous and I think they're flippin awesome for doing it and being available to what God is asking them to do. So hopefully I will be able to encourage, help, give and be a resource for them to squeeze while I'm here.

I'm SO ready to get stuck in. Bring it!

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Some Pics...

2010-11-05T12:28:00.000Z

Life here on the bus means that a bunch of kids get to have some schooling and food...here's a couple of pics to show you what goes on!

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Yellow School Bus with a Difference

2010-11-04T05:57:00.002Z

The last 2 days have been spent on Vision Rescues yellow school buese. Currently, they have 3 operating and another one they have just purchased and are waiting for the people to come along to run it.

My first morning there, we arrivd at the headquarters where they have an office, a kitchen to prepare all the food for the day, and they also park a medical van, a dental van and one of the bueses. I met all the people, tried to figure out who went where, we got in a circle and discussed and prayed for the day. Before long, the food was loaded onto each bus and we were heading out to our first of 5 destinations.

Cruising the streets of Mumbai is not a typical Sunday drive. The streets are crammed with cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, rickshaws, and even horse/ox pulled carts. A complex array of honking seems to be the only road rule, with 'lanes' merging into one with several layers of traffic trying to squeeze in. Sometimes it feels like you go within an inch of your life, by in a big bus you feel the power and strength that it has, and feel quite safe in the hands of the driver.

Pulling up to the first sight was what I had expected, makeshift houses, tarpaulins, rusty iron, bits of wood and tons and tons of rubbish. I was a little nervous about interacting with the children, as my friends who I'm normally with in this type of situation, were not there to rely on. It was up to me to connect, play, to smile and to try and get their names. I failed on the most part, but was stretched and made better because of it. I wish I was way more fun and easy going, but put me in that situation and completely out of my depth, and I'm just not!

It was fun seeing what they get up to on the buses, they teach English 2 days, Maths 2 days and then Hindi for 1 day. They also talk about general hygeine, being clean and will not let the children on the bus if they have not washed their face. At the end of the lesson, they close it with prayer and then give the children their rice and food for the day. I'm surprised at the share volume of food that they give to each child, and what they give out in a day. Every day, they cook 75kgs of rice, and around 25kgs of lentils and vegetables. That is a HUGE amount of food, and that is a HUGE expense that they keep on giving.

It was nice seeing one or two of the sights that they visit, but by time we got around to the fifth, it was too much. It was too much in the heat of the day to process, it was too much extreme poverty for me to see, it was just too much. Every day, 3 buses go out and go to the same five locations. Thats 15 different slum areas that they're educating and feeding daily...and in the scheme of the largeness of this city, that does not even scratch the surface of the need that there is.

Its too much for me to drive around and literally see all the streets 'littered' with slums, street people and rubbish everywhere. I hate to use the term littered because they are not trash, they are people and hearts and feelings, but that is the only imagery that I can protray it as.

Mumbai is so well known as 'The City of Dreams' and I am continually thinking, how? How can people come here with so much hope for the future when there is so much of this around? How can people possibly think that they'll be better off here than in their home towns? How can you look around at this and call it hopes and dreams?

It is SO intense, and I find myself hourly trying to figure out a way for me to leave here, leave this uncomfortableness because it literally just hurts. I feel alone when I go home at night to my little bedroom where there is no one, I eat alone, I sleep alone. I know I'm being a whimp, but in the first time of all of my travels, I want to go home.

(And its only my 4th day here!)

India Welcomes Me

2010-11-04T05:29:00.002Z

Arriving in the heat of the day was a good hit after the coolness of London, and I enjoyed knowing right away the temperature high that i would be living in over the next month.

After some questions from immigration, backwards and forwards conversation in their own language, and more questions by the gentlemen, they agreed to grant me a visa and allow me into their country. Although they would only grant me the visa until the night before my outbound flight, I was happy to get the all clear, collect my bags and then go meet my ride from Vision Rescue that had been patient for over an hour while the whole scene unfolded. You can imagine me, a single girl travelling by herself to meet an Indian man that had invited her to come and stay for a month, provided many questions to the immigration officers.

Two Vision Rescue staff, Marshal and Islam, welcomed me and we proceeded to weave through the busy and overcrowded streets, a much different picture to the village in America that I was in. All around I saw some similar sights to things I had seen in other countries, but I also began to see new sights, experience new smells and take in everything that Mumbai has to offer. The roads are full of people and things to dodge, within mere centimetres sometimes.

We arrived at St. Pius College where I will call home for the next month. It is a simple room and complete with 2 small single beds (which I have now combined to be like a tiny double), a hard pillow, a wardrobe, and a 'European' style bathroom. The buckets and jugs in there slightly concern me, and I have not attempted the open shower (or should I say facet in the wall) as of yet. I am thankful that I at least have that.

After dropping my bags, we were soon out on the road that would be a 10 minute walk to the Vision Rescue office, that I'm sure will become very familiar to me. It was good to see some new and old friendly faces and they all greeted me warmly. There was an excitement and nervousness as introductions were made. Thoughts invaded my head like 'What are you doing here?' 'What are you going to talk about?' ' You have nothing in common with these people' 'You can't do this for a whole month, you're crazy'. So throwing those thoughts and fears aside, I delved into conversation and silence was broken.

There were so many questions unanswered about my stay, but I was feeling a little more comfortable. We made plans for me to be picked up at 8am and taken out for a day in the buses the next day, and then we left. I was taken back to my room, feeling overwhelmed, uncomfortable and unsure of what I should do next.

And now, in my 4am jetlagged state, I am writing this, so better try and sleep some more.

Ending, but just beginning.

2010-10-31T21:08:00.001Z

I'm sitting here on the tarmac of London Heathrow T5. I feel that it is the end of a sweet, exciting, fun, hard, challenging and adventurous season of living in London and all that meant for me. I actually felt like this trip of just a few days was a little bonus, and that I was so blessed to be able to see great friends again.

As I contemplate the ending of something that has been so life changing, I also get the sweet reminder that the end is still only the beginning. It is the beginning of something that will probably be even more exciting, fun, hard, challenging and adventurous. But something that God has prepared me for, and for that I am so thankful.

Tomorrow morning - Londons breakfast time, USAs middle of the night and NZs dinner time, I will be landing in the heat of Mumbai, India. In my mind I simply cannot make a comparison of the differences in things that I will see and do. Its absurd to me that I can get on the plane, and shortly land in a place that will be so foreign to me in more ways than one.

Well...it is time to turn off and fly. I will be sure to keep the updates coming, and your part of the deal is to keep the prayers coming!

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Simple facts...

2010-10-26T23:31:00.001+01:00

As I'm starting to get sleepy, I was just reading through some facts about Mumbai, India...(which of course is my next destination) and now I'm alarmingly awake.

There's some really staggering things about Mumbai, like the crazy amounts of people, slum life and street people, extreme poverty and extreme wealth living next door to one another, but the most hard hitting one I've read so far is this:

*Breathing the air in Mumbai, India for just ONE DAY, is equivalent to smoking 2.5 packs of cigarettes.

WHAT?! All I can say is - Lord, protect my lungs!

The song with the phrase "this is the air I breathe" comes to mind, and not in a nice way.

30 days x 2.5 = 75

75 PACKETS OF SMOKES is what my lungs will endure in the month that I'm there. Now I'm REALLY glad I'm not a smoker!

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A Glimpse into my next : Vision Rescue

2010-10-24T19:57:00.000+01:00

How to JAM two months of FUN into a blog?!

2010-10-13T05:33:00.004+01:00

WOW.

It has been epic. It has been life altering, it has been a great adventure.

I'm not going to JAM many words into this blog but I am going to share some photo love of this great American adventure that I've been so privileged to be on.

OK so after one photo...my conclusion is that I hate this blog set up and adding more than one photo. It's just rubbish and I can't do it very successfully without throwing things.

SO. I will post a link to some photos that I will get going on Picasa (oneday soon!)

Birds and Beads

2010-09-08T03:56:00.004+01:00

As people are becoming more aware of my approaching trip to Mumbai, India, I just wanted to share a little more about it and give an opportunity for people to support through donations and prayer.

Mumbai is the largest populated city in both India and the world, reaching 14 million in the city alone. It was formally called Bombay and is the business centre of India. It is a thriving city that has all the modern conveniences of other developing countries with plenty of wealth in some areas. Along with the extreme wealth, lies extreme poverty and houses some of the poorest people in the world, and has the largest slums in the world.

I am going to a wonderful ministry called Vision Rescue, under a local pastor, Biju Thampy, who saw a need and started to meet that need in 2004. Today, Vision Rescue reaches about 850 street children per day in 15 locations in Mumbai city where they are taught hygiene, basic education and are provided with a hot meal. The venue for this to happen is on a school bus that they have converted to make a sufficient classroom environment, and they drive this bus to the various locations throughout the day.

When I am there, I have the privilege of getting to train some of the volunteers who teach the children just to give them more skills and strategies in order to teach the children more efficiently as they have no teaching backgrounds. I will also get to spend some time with the children, teaching them English, having fun with them and hopefully building some great relationships.

I have titled this blog "Birds and Beads" for a purpose...

I wanted to raise some support for this trip because I want to be able to give and to bless the incredible work that Vision Rescue do, I want to be able to put more resources in their hands and ultimately, I want them to be able to accommodate more and more children because the need really seems endless.

If you would like to give a donation towards furthering their work in Mumbai, then I would love to give you the above Bird and Bead hanging thingy that I have made especially for my supporters. It doesn't matter how much or little you would like to give, any small or large contribution will together make for something big and life-changing.

My hope is that it will be a reminder, every time you pass it or look at it, to pray for me and to pray for those precious little children and people in India.

Leading up to my trip which will be for the entire month of November, I want to ask you to keep me in your prayers as I prepare my heart and mind for this amazing, life changing and challenging opportunity that lies ahead. While I am in Mumbai, I will be sending out regular updates on the work that I have been doing and what my prayer needs are.

Until next time, think, pray and decide how you can contribute, be in touch with me and I will send you a sweet little "Birds and Beads".

Much love and appreciation xo

Taking a Bite of the Big Apple

2010-08-18T23:21:00.000+01:00

New York City never disappoints. It didn't matter that I was by myself this trip, unlike the last time that I was here with 6 crazy friends from around the globe with London as our common home.

My trip had a different feel about it. A bitter/sweet moment of leaving London as my home and embarking on my next adventure - spending the next 4 months of my life as a gypsy in no mans land. I am excited, I am nervous and scared, ecstatic, hopeful and most other emotions that I choose to face.

Nevertheless, I am approaching this space of my life as 'fearless', or trying to at least. Stepping off the plane at JFK was exciting, driving into Manhattan was just as breathtaking as the last, and the city of dreams has really turned up the heat.

I came with one goal only - to get lost in the streets, sights, smells, lights, tastes, sounds and people of NYC - and I must say I did it well.

Foolishly deciding that I would never be seen dead in NYC with trainers on, I swapped them for new flats, hit the streets and hit em hard (and now have the blisters to prove!).

From walking the entire length of 5th & 7th Avenue and Broadway from Central Park to TriBeCa, as well as along the Hudson. Passing landmarks like the Empire State, Madison Square Gardens, World Trade Centre, Lady Liberty and many more. I stopped at a TriBeCa local diner and had a world famous Turkey Club before jumping on the Staten Island ferry at dusk. What a beautiful sight - Manhattan skyline at dusk on the trip there, then dark on the return journey. Other things I jammed in...

Cruised the Hudson river and saw this beauty...

Found my way into a Yankees game....

People watched in Grand Central Station.

Went to the NYDC 2nd Anniversary celebrations.

Rode the Staten Island Ferry and admired this view...

Concluded that Times Square has to be one of the coolest places ever...

Huge Landmarks...and huger views...

Watched a movie being filmed in Central Park.

Joined in a free yoga class at Bryant Park.

Failed at taking photos of the Farmers market at Union Square.Also got lost in the streets of Soho and Little Italy, finding antiques, vintage shops and delicious little deli's.

So there you have it, my whirlwind adventure in NYC, jammed packed full of goodness. I am getting on this flight exhausted, but excited for my next stop...New Mexico :-)

India - You are on My Mind

2010-07-18T12:14:00.000+01:00

Dear India...

I am dreaming of you and thinking what it will be like when I hit the tarmac in the November heat.

Will it be anything I've ever experienced or seen before? Will it be like anything I have read or watched on T.V? Will it be like the media portrays it? Or how people talk about it?

I think it will be everything, yet so much more. More because of the people I meet and the way they change my life and perspective. More because of the homes that I enter that are made of cardboard, yet the atmosphere is more generous, courageous and faith filled than I could ever build. More because of the children I meet playing in the slums have the biggest and brightest smiles I will ever know. And more because it will challenge me to my very core.
India - that's the experience that I'm imagining you'll give me but I also know that it will be so much more than even I can imagine because that comes from the mind. India, you will hit me in the heart, in my emotions, in my faith and in my dreams.

I know that I will never be the same. I am preparing for my life to be changed, for my world to be rocked and for my dreams to shift.

India, you scare me because of it, but yet I feel this magnetic pull to you, stronger than ever as you get closer and closer.

Time is nearing, and so is my heart.

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My NEW Year

2010-05-22T15:49:00.002+01:00

A year full of change, anticipation, excitement, of growth, of new experiences and of great challenge. A year that will be determinative in my life, that will speak volumes of my character, faith and trust in God. A year that will see such incredible favour and blessing on everything that I do as I step out of what is comfortable, and move into a direction that is far beyond my comfort levels in every way. A year that relationships will grow and form and blossom, a year that new, strong people will enter my life who will mentor and bless me, people who will challenge me like nothing else before, but who will love me deeply with a sense of unconditional love.

This year of being 27 will be rich, full and blessed so that I can be the most amazing blessing. There will be time, strength, power and resources to meet the needs of people in every way that is required. A year that is abundant, that is overflowing, that is full of direction, wisdom and intention.

My hopes...

friends

2010-03-19T09:19:00.005Z

This is a photo of some fabulous gals that I have the privilege of doing life with. We had a fun night of cocktails for my birthday, was a quality night full of friends from everywhere in the world, but call home London (for now), in this photo alone there is a Brit, Australian, South African, Colombian and me the kiwi of course.

I'm having a constant realisation about just how cool my friends are here in London. I am truly blessed to be around a bunch of fun, amazing people, who thirst after God's heart and truth and who passionately love people.

Being around them stretches and grows me and challenges me into new depths of life and love and relationships. The conversation, the motives and the heart of the people I'm surrounded with is world class. I've never been around such a massive bunch of people who are just so connected to a sense of purpose for life. The sheer quantity of people amaze me. Yeah, I've always been a part of a group with such passion and purpose, but never quite this many. I'm constantly just in awe of all that God is doing here.

This environment is amazing, who wouldn't want to be a part of it?

I'm realising more and more that life isn't necessarily about what you are doing, but the people and the heart that you're connected with. Being connected to the right people and place will bring about incredible fruit and send you in a direction that will be a blessing in this world. It is the togetherness that will bring about change, freedom and love to a hurting humanity.

God had a cool plan when he dreamed up just how powerful and effective the church can be in this world. We are all in this together.

Fun times.

Also in my birthday weekend, I enjoyed my last coffee for the rest of the month. Ouch it's hurting, and I have had a caffeine headache for 4 days now.

At my cocktail party a candle decided to spill out of its seams. It was an interesting shape at the end of the night. Not much point in me telling or showing you, except I think it was kinda cool.

So that's the end of this little blog. Just thought I should share something from my world since it's been so long.

Basically, I'm just loving London friends (notice I didn't say London?), loving being a part of Hillsong and I really, really like my house.

That is all.

Can't Complain about a day that includes Magaritas

2010-02-17T23:40:00.000Z

Today was a fun day out with a great friend in London. We had coffee and food and boat trips and movies and shopping and GMT zone and best of all Magaritas.

How can I complain about my life or the city I live in when it turns up such fun all the time.

It was a rare occasion that the sun even turned up to play today. How kind of it.

And tomorrow - what will I do with my holiday? Make the most of my Cineworld Unlimited card and see just how many movies I can cram into a single day. My butt muscles have been duly worked out today to make up for tomorrow.

Love it. Hope you love yours right now.

Sent using BlackBerry® from Orange

Sharing a little photo love of Africa...

2010-02-01T21:35:00.011Z

The Living Hope ladies hard at work in Gulu, Northern Uganda,

and below in Kampala

Above: Some woman ready to receive gifts from Living Hope, I had the privilege of being able to give these woman everyday items that we take for granted

Beautiful Watoto babies in Kampala

The mud brick house the team built at Bbira Watoto Village,

and photos taken around the villages of incredible children, woman and men that we met:

The words I've been trying to get...

2010-01-02T17:07:00.010Z

I've pondered over the last almost week at how I can communicate my Uganda trip the best way that I can. I have thought and thought about what I could write to say how much it has impacted, affected and changed me and how to best describe the people and hearts that I met, have thought about the little babies stories of abandonment and of hope, have thought about HIV positive women who have the most positive outlook on life that I have ever encountered…but, words this time, seem to fail me so I will try and write and communicate to you, the best that I can.

Driving through the Kampala traffic seems like any other city in a non-western world that I have been to, close to what I experienced in Cairo I guess, so it was no shock to me the sights and smells that I saw, it differed to the Africa that gets shown to us on any commercial for aid that we may see on the TV or billboards, this was not the place that sad, crying and starving children are filmed. Instead, I found it dirty but functional, there were business people, not to Wall Street standards, but nonetheless, businesses that worked and professionals that studied. On the contrast, there were street people and children, who begged at cars that drove past, but who were fed, clothed and ultimately looked after.

Driving outside of Kampala, on the other hand was the real Africa, the one that constantly invades us while watching TV or a movie or while driving down the road when we see that billboard. The one where there are dirt roads, where families live in one, unstable mud brick room, where they have no option but to walk for miles to fetch water, where they eat one meal a day, where they have no shoes, where the children don’t go to school because it is far too expensive, where the family earns per month what we spend on coffee per week. This was the Africa that is portrayed to us and this is the Africa that I encountered – all but one part…the people. We are so under the illusion that all people in Africa are miserable because, ultimately, they don’t have the money to better themselves. I have come to the conclusion, that it is actually us that are miserable because we do have the money to better ourselves…yet, we never really do.

Let me unpack that a bit.

Yes the images are real that we see, but we can never know people from a single persuasive shot. It was in my experience that I looked at, and met people that were happy. In the tiny villages, children who would run and smile and laugh and chase after our van, waving and yelling and hoping that we would wave back, where we would get out and all the children would gather, want to play and give to you. Where families invited us into their homes and fed us lunch – not out of their extra, but out of their best. The Ugandan people were happy, full of smiles, they welcomed, they loved and they thanked.

That is what struck me the most, everywhere I went, people thanked me for being there. If I was in a café and talked about spending Christmas in Uganda, they thanked me for just staying in their country, if I was holding a baby, they thanked me, if I was talking to a mother, they thanked. They thanked me for coming into their home and eating lunch, they thanked me for visiting, for helping, for coming to see what life is like for them. We have a thing or two to learn about embracing what you have and being thankful for it, they live life well, with the most amazing attitudes.

I couldn’t understand why they thanked me so much; my reply would be ‘no, you don’t understand, thank you so much for having me’. I still don’t know why they were so thankful for me being there, but I did ask one lady and her reply was…

‘So that you can go, and tell our story’

And that is what I am endeavouring to do. Tell a story of Watoto and the hope that it has bought to children, women, men, families, and ultimately, a country. Every person I talked to down the rugged but busy Kampala streets knew of Watoto, or knew of someone that was changed, healed, rescued or raised because of the work that Watoto does. Watoto is more than a babies home, more than a village, more than a church, it is a vision. A vision for the future of Uganda and the hope that it has, the vision to stand on its own feet, unaided by other countries, and able to aid and give to others in need. Watoto is an organisation that is well established, well grounded, has built a name and reputation in the eyes of government and other organisations, it is an organisation that has been built on the selfless sacrifice of its leaders, employees and volunteers so that it can literally save lives.

Joy is the woman who told me to go and tell their story. She is beautiful and she volunteers her time to Watoto in the Living Hope programme to train HIV positive women who have been ostracised out of their community, who were previously abducted to become child soldiers, or who have, through Aids, lost their husbands and therefore their welfare. They are trained to sew and to make jewellery and helped to start businesses.

I was able to spend some time in the production unit just talking to these women, listening to their hearts and stories, listening to them being so thankful for being rescued and their lives being restored. I loved watching them work, and laugh and smile and interact with the other women; they had such amazing, positive attitudes and actually loved the work that they did. For something that seems so demeaning in the western society, was actually giving them freedom, giving them hope and giving them a life to be so proud of. It was humbling seeing it, being a part of it, and then of them thanking me. How could they thank me, it was me that needed to give the thanks, me that was being impacted and changed. Just when I thought I couldn’t be any more humbled, all of the women stood up and started praying, Joy then lead them in prayer. Tears rolled, prayers of thankfulness flowed and worship was born out of their hearts, they started singing and clapping at their sewing machines, no hesitation and no boundaries, nothing restraining them back, but giving their all to their God who has literally saved their lives. God has literally saved my life too, but I have never been so in awe as I have in that moment.

Going into Bulrushes Baby home was a beautiful experience, where the children have nannies, they are loved and looked after and they are well rounded and adapted. This is not an orphanage; it is a home, where the nannies know their children. A couple of people have asked me if I wanted to take any of the children home with me, and yes, while they are beautiful and ultimately orphaned, they have a home, they are loved and they are well looked after. While it is crazy and chaotic at times, I had no problem leaving these children right where they are. As I sat and played, cuddled, fed and bathed these children, I picked each child up and got to sit and listen to the nannies tell their stories. Some have a mum or a dad, but most do not, and were left unnamed and abandoned at the hospital. The ones that have a dad are the ones that their mums died at birth and the father could not provide milk for the child, and the ones that have a mum were not equipped to deal with the medical expenses of giving birth to a premature baby.

It was my privilege to be able to spend quite a bit of time in the Nursery, where at the time; they had 4 wee babies in incubators and 4 other newborns.

As I sat in the room feeding and burping and rocking 3 babies at a time, I thought back to that exact time the year before where I was in New Mexico with some precious friends in the Neonatal Unit with their Grace who was minute by minute, fighting for her life. What a contrast, here I was 14,000kms away in the middle of

Africa in the ‘Neonatal’ unit of Bulrushes Baby Home which was just a room, with the door and windows open to the outside world. The smallest baby to go there and live is 700 grams (1.5lb), which is about the same size as Grace was. This photo is of Meg, who is that precious little 700 gram girl who is doing really well and can even keep her temperature and heart rate up when out of the incubator.

This whole experience highlights to me just how much God is in control, and how much His story is going to be exalted. If some untrained nannies and social workers can keep a baby alive that everyone passed off as dead, then there is a bigger picture here. She is not the only tiny baby that was left unnamed and abandoned who has come in and survived and doing well, she is the beautiful one of many, that together will one day, tell their miracle story, just like my friends Grace.

Watoto have a growing population of children that have been abandoned and mistreated, who have been left to survive on their own, who through Aids have lost their mum and dad, or who have been rescued from being child soldiers in a very perverse army. They have 3 villages that are based around family and community values, where the children get to be a part of a functioning family with siblings and a mother, be part of a community and go to school. We got to spend some time in the 2 villages not too far outside of Kampala, the houses are in clusters of 8, giving children neighbours and a feeling of community. All of the children go outside and play together, laugh and have fun.

The moment we started walking around these villages, the children just ran to us, wanting us to play with them, some even giving us performances. We got invited into homes and shown around, we got fed and were able to sit with the mothers and listen to how much she adores her new family, of how much she knows and cherishes her children. It was an incredible picture of restoration, of taking something that was so broken and giving it hope, giving not only the children love and life, but the mother too, she finally had purpose, meaning and love.

Walking around these communities, I got a deep sense of how much love matters. People who are marginalised and oppressed don’t only need freedom from their circumstances, but they need the expression and to be an expression of love. Watoto has allowed people to receive the ultimate expression of love, and are placing people in an environment where they can give love. They matter because of love.

I guess I want to say is give to Africa, give to Watoto, give to water projects, give to education, give to health initiatives and give to the quality of life to be improved. Find something that you believe in, find something that doesn’t just show you a convincing image that they are miserable without your help, it’s not true, their quality of life is worse, they may even die without your help, but simply money enough won’t make a difference, it is love that changes everything. Find something that is breathed out of love for people, because whatever it is that we have given to, they are thankful beyond description, they weep tears of thankfulness as you talk to them, by giving, you enable people to find hope, freedom, love and meaning.

And that is Joys story, as well as many other women, children, men and families that have been changed, made new and given hope.

What I wrote on my first night in Uganda

2009-12-29T20:21:00.003Z

I'm lying on my bed, under a full blown mosquito net with the fan blowing sweet, cool air around the room. It is 12.17 in the morning and I am having a very real, but very surreal moment all in one.

I am in Africa.

The flight was massive, we had a 12 hour layover in Amsterdam which was amazing, and now, around 32 hours after I left home, I am in a place so foreign, so opposite, but yet feels so comfortable.

All of my western worldliness has already been challenged and I have only been in the country for a few hours. After getting through airport security with minimal hassle, we were met by 3 Watoto workers, one who was cuddling a sweet, tiny baby named John-Mark. This little guy already has quite the story to tell, left nameless and abandoned at a hospital at a very small and premature weight of 1.2kg, he was rescued by Watoto and driven back to the main city of Kampala on a 5 hour journey. While on the journey back, the car broke down and it was hours before they could get it fixed, fighting for his life and meant to be in an incubator, John-Mark pulled through and now is doing really well at Bulrushes baby home in Kampala.

Talk about being smacked right in the face about the reality of living life here in Uganda from the outset of this trip.

Once the boys got all our gift bearing suitcases and boxes in the van, we opened the door and my immediate reaction was ‘Where’s the baby seat?’ to which, ‘we’re in Africa now!’ was the answer. Reality check number two and we hadn’t even left the car park. So I jumped in and pretended to be ok about this little guy not having a car seat, and soon forgot about all the western-ness of my thinking as we took the hour long journey back into Kampala.

As we were driving and listening and taking in all the sights and smells of Uganda, streets were buzzing with activity and people, lined with little shacks selling everything that you can think of. Street vendors and restaurants that we would not even consider for a moment to eat at, had people buzzing around them. Shacks that sold all things wooden, where beds and shelves were literally stacked on top of one another on the side of the road, refrigerators as well, lined the streets.

So this is my first impressions of Africa, have already challenged my way of thinking and living and struck me to my very core, I am preparing to be royally messed up.

Hold your breath - it gets better

2009-12-11T18:47:00.003Z

A whole new world

Don't you dare close your eyes

A hundred thousand things to see

Hold your breath - it gets better

I'm like a shooting star

I've come so far

I can't go back to where I used to be

A whole new world

Every turn a surprise

With new horizons to pursue...

Let me share this whole new world with you

Trust Disney to make a theme song with such great lyrics. I've had this song in my head for days and I love it, not because I listen to it often (but I do admit it's on my ipod) but because it's like a little promise from my sweet God to me...hold your breath, it gets better.

I know it gets better.

I have dreams that are better and bigger and way beyond what I can even imagine now.

Uganda - it was a dream, and in 3 days, it is becoming reality. Wow.

I can't wait for God to share this whole new world with me...

And I know that I can never go back to where I used to be.

Much more than Arithmetic

2009-12-06T13:27:00.004Z

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings."

-Eric Hoffer

I am thankful for the people who enter my life

I am thankful for friends who encourage, support and love me even when I don't deserve it

I am thankful for family who always are by my side

I am thankful for my sister who has sweetly revealed that she can't live without me

I am thankful for my family in America who lovingly speak truth to me

I am thankful for my friend who has good intentions of sending me a package

I am thankful for my cousin and her babies that I call my nephew and niece, and even though I am on the other side of the world, I lift them to Jesus daily

I am thankful that people have invited me into their journey of life, what ever that looks like for them now, it is a privilege to be on it with them

I am thankful for my job which is challenging but is allowing me to grow personally and professionally

I am thankful that I am privileged enough to be in London and on this life adventure

I am thankful that I am going to Uganda in a week and getting to go where I have only dreamed

I am thankful that I have the resources, time, and freedom to be able to do incredible things like go to Uganda

I am thankful that I have lived and learned and experienced so much already in my short 26 years

I am thankful for my warm, beautiful house and my lovely housemates who are a joy to live with

I am thankful for the simple things that I take for granted like food and water

I am thankful that it is chilly but sunny outside and that the leaves are pretty colours

I am thankful for today and that it is a new day with new mercies

I am thankful that one day an inspiring friend set me on a path to discover Jesus

I am thankful that Jesus embraced me and has never let go

I am thankful that I have an incredible hope and a future, and that I can trust in that

I am thankful that I have gifts and a uniqueness that I can offer the world

Friends, I am thankful, and I am trying to master this arithmetic.

*edit - I am thankful for Horndog who sends me emails that make me laugh*

Started with Joy, Ended in Tears

2009-12-02T20:13:00.005Z

There was such a beautiful feeling about today, I got up, connected with the big man, even read my bible. I felt good, peaceful, like today was going to be a great day. I listened to my ipod, felt inspired as I sat on the train, I even enjoyed my 20 minute walk into work in the frosty air. Today, I didn't mind that by the time that I got to work at 8am, I had already been up for 2 hours.

Throughout the course of the day I unfortunately just encountered disappointment after disappointment, through lack of support in senior management (I should just learn that lesson now), to a colleague just bluntly putting themselves before anyone else, to not getting offered a ride in the pouring rain, even though I am not well.

The things seem small and insignificant, but in my day they were significant and I'm finding that I constantly have to check my attitude because it is swiftly heading south.

I walked out of the office door after hanging around for 5 or so minutes all rugged up, with my coat on, to see if anyone would offer me a ride to the station, of which they did not. It gets dark at 4.30pm now, and by dark, I mean that it is pitch black, so by the time we leave work at 5.30 or 6pm, darkness has well and truly set in for the night. Today it was dark and raining and the last thing that I wanted to do was take my 20 minute walk down and then up the hill to the station.

I find that I constantly have to check my attitude when it comes to days like this, because there are over 30 staff at this school, half of which drive past the station and never once offer a ride. Actually, I retract that statement, I have been offered a ride a few times by a lady that drops me off at a close corner which is lovely. But then my mind goes 'Well, how hard would it be for you to drive around that corner and drop me outside the door? It would literally add 2 minutes onto her journey, and make mine much, much more pleasant' cos while it takes 2 minutes to drive there, it takes over 5 minutes to walk up the hill (in the rain).

SO I think she's selfish (not generous).

I think everyone is selfish (not generous) for not offering me a ride in the pouring rain, especially when I have this chesty/yucky/sore throat/husky voice thing going on.

Today was the type of heavy rain that your shoes flick up all the water to the back of your trousers.

So I sat on the tube and the bus soaked all over for my hour long journey home, freezing cold because no one offered me a ride, and I cried about it.

Yip, I did. I cried, walking all the way from school to the station.

Thinking about people and how much they frustrate me, how much disappointment I got in just today, how selfish people are, how much it hurts me when people are not generous...and...how much disappointment I'm feeling about my friends (which, I think is clearly the real, underlying hurt here).

I really believe that I am a good friend. I'm a crap friend too, but for the most part, I am a good friend. I believe in my friends, I value them, I place them high in my regard, I encourage them and I lift them up in prayer, I back them when sometimes nobody else does, I believe that they are good, that they intend good, that they are beautiful, that they are gifted and unique and they have insights, wisdom and experiences to share and impart into my life. I value their opinion and what they say, I believe in their future, in their dreams, in their desires and in their plans and I will never discourage something that is in their heart. I try to only speak life into them, and watch my words. I correct and challenge those that have allowed me to in our relationship, and all out of love for them, to see them grow, to see their lives move forward, and their thinking challenged. I speak highly of them around other people and watch what I say so that I never bring them down and so other people will hold them in high regard as well.

It is hard being this type of friend. It is very intentional, and it is the way that I have chosen to live out of the conviction of my own heart. I know that I am human and I am well aware of my faults and that this sometimes is not the most accurate picture of me, but it is what I aspire to.

But right now I am finding it really hard because I don't feel it reciprocated by many of the people that I consider to be close to me. Where are the people that believe in, encourage and lift me up? Where are my beautiful friends who whole-heartedly believe in me and my dreams and my future and who tell me? Where are the people who, when I am weak, lift me up in prayer? Where are the people that are generous with their time, their resources and their words?

Please, just be generous today...what ever that may look like. Because, when you're generous, I know that you love me, and that you value me.

The Giving of Thanks...

2009-12-01T21:37:00.004Z

On Saturday night, I had a Thanksgiving dinner at my house and welcomed around 16 people here. We had a great time eating Turkey, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and other goodies. It is an amazing celebration that I have been able to share with my American friends over the last few years, and since I was not in the States I just wanted to be thankful for the people that I call family here in London. We had a tree that we decorated with leaves of thankfulness, and I asked each person to write a thing or two that they're thankful for. It ended up being such a beautiful celebration, and a real way that we could count (and see) our blessings and our friends blessings. so I wanted to share a few of the things that were written:

I am thankful for my awesome jobs, wonderful friends being in London and my BIG God.

I am thankful for a great year, wonderful people that I share it with and a great holiday ahead.

I'm thankful for my friends, my family and my church, as well as the gifts JC has hooked me up with.

I am thankful for God choosing me to do and share his work. I am thankful for Him not letting me go in the past and I am thankful for my family abroad and so so thankful for my new family here.

I am thankful that God has transformed my life and and future and that I have hope.

I am thankful for my health.

Those are just a few of the beautiful things written, and for the most part, written by people that are here, away from their families, making and starting a new life. It's because of church and connection with Jesus that these people are in my life and in each others lives. We are so thankful that we have people to trust in, rely on, laugh with, cry with, be mad with, have fun with, to pick us up, to hug and be there for us through thick and thin, and especially so important as our families are on the other side of the world.

I just wanted to share that precious night with you as I sit here the next morning, in my clean lounge because people washed up the dishes for me, because I sit here just pondering how amazing our God is.

My Daily Struggle

2009-11-04T21:59:00.002Z

There are two children that are a constant struggle in my world - every minute of every day they push the boundaries and know how to get me fired up.

One kicks, punches and screams at me at least 15 times a day, and now I have hurt my back from constantly having to grab him off other children as he jumps on them, hitting and kicking for no apparent reason. Because of his wrath, I then bear the brunt of his anger...

The other is very purposeful and cunning in the way that he misbehaves, then when asked to sit in a chair for time out, will run away from me pulling faces and singing 'na na na-naaa' and laughs hysterically as I start to boil over.

Worst of all, is that they have started to get in on the act together, doubling their trouble, therefore doubling my anger.

I am done. I have nothing left, no strategies, no ideas, I have tried everything with these two boys and have got no where...in fact, it feels that I am worse off for even trying.

Despite being constantly fired up by them, I actually enjoy them when they are being great, but why can't they be great and lovely for the majority of the time instead of being a devil-child?

Meanwhile - I have 27 other children with their own issues that need my attention as well.

Ideas?

Uganda + BidOnMe + Hillsong

2009-10-28T21:38:00.006Z

Words cannot describe the amount of appreciation and admiration that I have for people in my life and world right now.

In December, there will be a team of us going to Uganda to work with an organisation called Watoto. Watoto is a non profit organisation that cares for orphan children in Uganda. Building villages and raising future leaders.

I absolutely love and believe in the vision that Watoto carry, by placing orphaned children in family homes, with brothers, sisters and a mum, and in functional communities that cater for all their needs. The children are raised in a family environment, and for some of these children with the devastation that they have faced in their young lives, it has literally saved them over and over again.

As part of our trip, we will be building a new family home so that 8 children and a Ugandan mum can live with shelter, food, education, clean water and a life, with a community of people that believe in them. We will also be helping in the babies home in Kampala, which is specifically designed to care for children aged 0-2.

For this trip, we needed at least 15,000 British Pounds (US$25,000) to cover the costs of all of the building materials and local labour - we will pay wages to the men and woman that build with us, and for some of them, it will be the only income in the month that they receive, and they travel many miles to get there.

On Friday night we held a BidOnMe fund raising event, where people auctioned off their skills, expertise and many more things. We raised an astonishing 20,000 Pounds. We not only raised that money, but through an incredible side-track, we managed to sponsor 110 children from our church to go on an outing to Lego Land, these children were from single parent families, or through other circumstances couldn't afford to go, and will remember the generosity of people as they get to enjoy Lego Land with their friends on Saturday. The atmosphere of people being generous and beautiful was thick, and it touched me to my very core. I am still so overwhelmed with the beautiful spirit in which people gave. Every time I think about it, I think how incredible our God is. The goal seemed so big and so far away, but in just one night we raised over and above what we needed. The beautiful thing is that, the more we raise, the more they receive, and the more houses can be built, and the more a nation can be changed and restored.

On Sunday, our Pastor got up at church and just shared how much we raised, and how much we as a church believe in what Watoto do, and then added another 20,000 Pounds to our fund raising as a gift from the church!

WOW...talk about being overwhelmed already - that just tipped me over.

So here I am, absolutely amazed at the people in my world, at my church and ultimately at God. For something that didn't seem possible, it has become more than reality, and for that I will never be the same again. The way that I think will never be the same, the way that I pray will never be the same, and the way that I view people will never be the same. I have learned that people can be generous beyond comprehension when they have a valid cause to give to.

I know that this cause is literally changing the lives of every single person that encounters it, whether it is through something like I will be doing, building, going to a fund raising event, or where it personally changes the circumstance of your life like it does so many men, woman and children in Uganda. This is not just a cause, this is not just a humanitarian feel good activity...this is truly God breathed and carries the very heart of God at the centre.

The important thing is that we're not stopping here. Why would we? There are children to be clothed, fed, schooled and lives to be changed.

Come on guys...let's get moving. I know that anything is possible.

Proverbs 11v24 (MSG)

"The world of the generous gets larger and larger;

the world of the stingy gets smaller and smaller."

http://www.watoto.com/

Have I told you about my bed?

2009-10-05T21:24:00.007+01:00

I have upgraded.

No longer am I on the blow up mattress on my friends floor - although I do strangely miss that - but I have my very own bed, with my very own sheets and pillows and duvet and it is gorgeous.

Just wanted to share it because every time that I get in my bed I smile, I'm smiling now just thinking about it. Yes I'm tired.

New J.O.B + busy social life = no time

2009-09-25T18:57:00.002+01:00

But I'm ok with that.

The last few weeks have been a whirlwind of events, with getting my job, starting the very next day and then the children arriving the day after that...it has been full on, but really, really, good.

I like (most!) of my class, there will always be the ones that you want to strangle on numerous occassions during the day. I have 29 four and five year olds, 7 of which are non-english speaking Polish children, three high maintaince kids who cannot sit still, 14 different languages spoken at home, 2 stubborn (youngest child syndrome!) who throw fits and won't move, and 3 children other than the Polish that don't speak - even in their own languages. So needless to say it is and will be one major challenge.

I am having fun though. These first weeks have been really interactive, getting to know eachother and figuring everything out on my part. Monday is the day - the day that I will have to put on my super teacher hat and do things like Phonics and Handwriting and Literacy instead of just playing with balls and hoops and bikes in the sun (oh how I will remember these days sweetly!).

I am part of a really great team that enjoy what they do, care about the children and are there for them (not our glamorous life and salary that we pick up at the end of the month) - that's really nice to see in London because that has not been my experience thus far.

I hate starting sentences with 'I', but here I have done it again.

My (see what I did there?!) life outside of school has been incredibly busy, exhausting, but worth every hour of sleep that I miss out on. There is so much happening in the London life and I have amazing friends that continue to keep me busy and loving life. My church continues to amaze me in every way, and I feel so privileged to be a part of something so great, and to be serving a vision so great. We had church in the O2 Arena a couple of weeks ago to celebrate the 10th anniversary of Hillsong London, and we had to turn away over 4000 people. What an experience!

There have been many visitors lately and I am looking forward to seeing an old friend from New Zealand who is currently living in Japan this weekend. It is exciting taking tourists around and it makes me appreciate what I have become so familiar with.

Other than that, this is my life in this moment: BUSY, FUN and FULFILLING.

Living Like I Never Have

2009-09-12T21:10:00.002+01:00

How good is it when you figure out that you actually love your life?

I am singing.

I am dancing.

I am smiling.

I am enjoying.

I am happy.

There have been too many years wasted in my life where I have not loved it, there have been parts that I have loved, but I could never say that I love my life...I have realised in the last two weeks that I love my life.

I don't just love it because it is easy, if anything, it has been the farthest from easy since being back in London. I am writing this (still!) from my friends floor where I have a blow up mattress and am borrowing everything. I have no money, but after 2 weeks of solidly applying for jobs, I secured one at a school which is over an hour away - which again has been intense with everything that beginning a classroom in a foreign country, without my multitudes of resources that I have taken for granted on so many occasions, entails. I love it though, I love that even though I am here and have to settle back in to London life and push friendships and boundaries and step out of my comfort zone relationally everyday and be very intentional about what I do because of so many reasons, that I am undoubtedly in the right place. There is a knowing, a deep, beautiful knowing.

And I can safely say that I love my life...which, I think that you got the picture by this point.

I feel privileged to be in this position and I am not taking it for granted in any way because I know that in just a snap of a finger, a small change of circumstance can swing you to the opposite end of the pendulum, but, I think it is much deeper than just circumstantial.

I feel like I know who I am, I feel like I know where I am going (which, really I don't, but I feel secure about the future) and I feel like there is purpose and drive to my life.

There is a reason why I was created. I am not an accident, I am not some unfortunate event of an evolutionary process, I am the very product of the breath and life of God, placed here for such a time as this.

I feel alive. I feel free. I feel like me.

On High

2009-09-04T12:30:00.000+01:00

For the last couple of weeks, I have definitely been 'on high' so to speak. I was undoubtedly excited to leave New Zealand to continue my adventure in London, and then when I got here, I was ecstatic to see all my friends and think about all the great things that are yet to come.

Yesterday, reality set in.

It wasn't a bad day by any stretch of the imagination, but a day where the high came crashing down. The day when I realised that maybe this isn't going to be as easy as the fairytale I had made myself believe.

But from the depths within me, I want to believe this fairytale. I want to believe that I can get a really amazing job and that something great will work out. I want to believe that I can earn enough money to pay my rent, to give and to save to go on trips to Uganda. I want to believe that I can be of some great value to the people in my life both immediately and in days to come. I want to believe that I can continue to live generously with everything that I have, my money, my time, my affection, my words, my compassion and my wisdom. I want to believe that I can build incredible relationships and have a community of people around me that will protect, defend and care for me, and I for them. I want to believe that I can run this good race with perseverance and determination. I want to believe that I can do something great, something worthwhile with my life.

These things are all in the core of who I am, who God has wired and created me to be, to impact my world, to make a difference, to stand up and make a change. I know I will never settle, it is not in my nature to do so.

But today, today I feel useless and have nothing to give.

Last night I gathered with some great people and we took a moment to write down some things that we want to see happen in the next year. Adrian, my wonderful friend and leader, will then send them back to us in a years time so that we can reflect and see what we have achieved. It didn't take me long to fill the entire page with dreams and aspirations for the year, some easily achievable, and some that seem so far fetched that I couldn't imagine happening in a lifetime, let alone in the next year.

I am excited, I am expectant, but it's the waiting place that always gets me. I know, really know that there are so many incredibly good things to come, I know like I have never known before. I have never had such a confident feeling as this before and I simply can't explain it.

It seems strange and so adverse to my circumstances. Think about the reality of it for a moment. I am here in London, 18800 km away from my homeland of New Zealand in quite literally, the furthermost place I can be. I have no money and getting a coffee this morning was an extravagance that I simply needed on this day, but felt guilty for. I have no job and not too many real leads. I am sitting on a blow up mattress on my friends floor writing this, and this is now what I call home.

I am thankful nonetheless, that I have been here before, that I have met people, friends that I can call family, that are happy to have me squatting on their floor.

It seems that I have nothing, but truth be told, I have everything. I have a place to call home for now, I have friends, I have family and most importantly, I have hope. I am not without, this isn't a sad sob story, this is a story of hope and of confidence in the God that I know and love.

So those are my circumstances, that is the reality of life for me now in this far away land, away from the comforts and security of what I know and can trust in. But despite them, I am confident. I am hopeful. I am privileged.

So don't forget that this is what I chose. I did this to myself. I was the one that wanted to leave New Zealand, I was the one that left with nothing in my bank account, I was the one that left without a job to come to, but I just believe that I was being obedient to Jesus and following my heart, and because of that, I have this unexplainable knowing within me that everything will be ok.

It will be better than ok. It will be better than I can conceivably imagine, because that is the type of God I serve.

Really, a year ago?

2009-09-01T12:44:00.000+01:00

On any normal weekend, you can wander through the delightful streets of Notting Hill and come across great architecture, green commons, cute shops and a market full of every fruit, vegetable, and bakery needs as well as the antiques, gifts and a vast array of eclectic objects down the infamous Portabello Road. It really is like the movie Notting Hill, it has that beautiful romantic feeling to it, and you half expect Hugh to pop around the corner and say Hello.

Except, this isn't a normal weekend, and it was a year ago that I experienced this bank holiday weekend for the very first time.

My memories from the Notting Hill Carnival last year were quite spectacular, I have never seen so many beads, sequence, feathers, boobs and butts shaking it with everything they've got for so long. Parade after parade vehicle having colourful followers dancing and celebrating and living. It was truly freeing to see, and sometimes join in, with these woman and men who were loving the moment so incredibly much.

This year, again, the carnival did not disappoint. With a vast array of colours and people, woman letting it all hang out without a care in the world, and fathers dancing with their little girls, it was quite a sight to see. I joined in on the parade, danced my little heart out to DJ Chuckie (who was actually rather good) and had fun wandering the streets with a couple of great guys who joined in on all the action with me. We got high off the second hand wacky dacky smoke that filled the air and made memories that will last a life time.

The Notting Hill Carnival is the largest carnival in all of Europe, filling streets with all types of music and food with a very strong African influence, but what I love most about the carnival, is that it doesn't matter who you are, what your background is and where you come from. Everyone can join in, party, have a great time and it be ok. You can be the token white girl celebrating and shaking your booty and no one thinks twice. You can be old and wrinkly and be playing the drums or trumpet or dancing like a mad man, and the young join in. There is no pretence here, no judging. It is probably the one and only weekend in London where you can really be you, no matter who you are, and no one cares, you can be fat with all of your muffin tops (and much, MUCH more) hanging out of your bikini and no one blinks an eye. Like I said it is very freeing.

Until, the riots start, and you get the heck out of there as fast as you can.

Faith + Hope + Love

2009-08-30T21:17:00.001+01:00

It's the title of the latest Hillsong CD and it's more than good. It is an expression of the heart of the church and the life that it has created in people.

Today, as I stood and sang songs that have been born out of this house, with so much passion and fullness of life, all I could do was say 'thank you'. While sitting in the service, I was just struck with an incredibly deep love for this church, and for the 'house of God' on a global level. It took me back to when I was saved, at a young 17, and the church that I then called home for the next 8 years. It was then, during those first, intoxicating months of knowing Christ and His church, that I remember a deep love and passion beginning to develop in my heart.

For some reason, through the good and the bad that has happened in my 9 years of knowing Him, God has just rooted such a firm love for His house in my heart. At times I thought that I have hated it, I hated the hypocrisy and falseness that dwelled in what seemed like every corner I turned to, I hated the way the leaders treated me and didn't speak life and truth, but lies that fed my insecurity. I despised the way that we as servants, were treated more like slaves for 'his namesake' and I envied the leaders that were getting all of their hopes and dreams fulfilled when all I could see was them having the behaviour and personal skills of a six year old.

But even throughout all of the hurt and pain and what I saw, I still, for some reason believed that the church was Gods answer to a hurting humanity, and that, maybe oneday, other people would see it that way and start standing up to the responsibility that we, as Christs body, have to this dying and lost world. I thought maybe oneday, that the church would look beyond its four walls, look beyond its 'incredible' leaders, look beyond prosperity and blessing to see something so simple...a world in need of faith + hope + love.

Without faith, it is impossible to please God, without hope we have no expectation of good for the future, and without love, we lack the fundamental need of all humanity. We not only need these things, we were created to live and breathe and function out of these things.

To me, Hillsong is a place that continually challenges me to rise up and live out of this 'faith+hope+love' life, a place that has no constraints or limits to who God is and what He can do. A place that is so expectant for good to happen in my life, in the life of my friends and family, in this city and in this world. There is such an incredible atmostphere of God being BIGGER than any circumstance or situation and I love it.

I more than love it.

God doesn't just love the church, He can't, or not in the sense that we know love. If He were to love church like I love chocolate and ice-cream, then we may as well pack up and forget about it, give up. I will abandon my love for chocolate and ice-cream when I get diabetes, or when I decide that I need to eat sugar free, or when I am just bored of it. But God will not abandon His plan for His house, for His people, for His name to be exalted far above all.

See, God more than love's His church, and I think that I'm beginning to see it in a new light, in His light, and I think that I'm beginning to love it in a way that can never be explained by our word 'love', or probably ever explained. It is deep rooted, and it is profoundly breathtaking in the way that it has captured me.

wow.

London is my Ice-cream

2009-08-29T22:02:00.000+01:00

This process and journey back to London has been like one of those exciting but furiously tantalizing moments when you're standing at the ice-cream store as a little kid being promised something so delicious, but having to wait for what seems like an eternity for it.

You pull your face up close to the ice-cream counter, deliberate over all of your choices and eventually, after your dad pressures you to hurry up, you make a selection of only one, how do you narrow it down like that? Despite your curiosity of other flavours, and desperately wanting to try them, you can never go past your favourite and ask for that one. You can see the store person scooping up that delicious Hokey Pokey (had to have kiwiana) and plonking it in the cone, you hope and pray that they give you a really, really big scoop, but you're too embarrassed to ask, so you just look up with your big puppy dog eyes and hope that they see you, succumb to the look of desperation, and add another. The ice-cream is so close, you see it dripping off the cone in the hot summer day, but, it is still so far. You can see it just in front of you, and almost touch it and taste it, but it's not quite yours, until the glorious moment happens when they pass it over and you skip out of the shop without a care in the world.

I've felt like that so much lately in life, how do I choose out of all these options? How do I wait so patiently for my ice-cream to be rolled and put on the cone? At last, this ice-cream is mine. I have it in my hand and it is the sweetest, most delicious Hokey Pokey ice-cream I have ever tasted (probably Kapiti or something). I have been waiting for this for months, and now that it is here, and now that I am consuming it, I am skipping around without a care in the world...

Almost.

You know, for me, I have almost put this expectation on God that He is my ice-cream shop owner and I am just waiting, so desperately, for him to give me a really giant scoop of all things good. I am happy, over the moon, with being able to be back in London, but would just like that added scoop please? So I look up with my big puppy dog eyes, and hope and pray that He sees me, but never really just be frank and ask for my extra scoop...isn't that kinda rude? Or so that's what my Mum always told me.

But I seem to think that there are different rules for God the ice-cream shop owner. I mean sure, things aren't always served to us in nice yummy scoops with a waffle cone and chocolate topping, but surely we can just ask. Isn't that the point in God being God?

So here, today, I find myself not only looking up with eyes that will melt His heart, but with sweet words of pleading for my extra scoop on life.

Actually, there's more than just one scoop that I want right now - but for this moment my added scoop that I really need is a job and some money. It's not too much to ask for, but in a way, I feel like I already have my delicious scoop of London, I just need the more. The more is just to enjoy the first better.

I arrived back in London 4 days ago and I felt like I have arrived 'home', which seems to be anywhere for me, but for now, my heart is here and therefore, my home. Getting back on the Underground Tube with my two suitcases from Heathrow airport never felt so good, it didn't matter to me that I had to lug them up and down multitudes of stairs or that no one even offered to help, because, I was home. I waited in one of the longest customs lines that I have ever seen (and I've done my fair share of traveling), but, it did not phase me, because I was home.

There is just a feeling of deep satisfaction and a knowing that life is about to get really great, maybe to a degree of greatness that I have never experienced before. That is my hope, that is my dream.

What ever it is that is waiting ahead for me, I am ready, I am excited and I want to rip it out of the hands of the ice-cream store owner and delve into it with the enthusiasm of a 6 year old.