A visit to a temple

I need to back up a bit...I left out visiting the temple before we headed into the mountains. This was a good reminder of some of the mindsets we would encounter as we shared. We saw people ringing bells to waken their sleeping gods...I am so thankful that I worship a God that never sleeps and can hear me, no matter when I cry out to Him.

The person who built this temple believes that all four of these religions are equal.

People waiting to approach the guru.

Bowing down and worshipping an idol.

So many of the Indians are very religious, but they have yet to discover the One true God.

A Colorful Welcome

I was so relieved to get off that curvy road and be in the mountains! We received a very warm welcome from the hotel staff.

The guys enjoying their juice...or is it the flower necklaces putting that big smile on their faces?!

The team with our translators and in-country leaders.

First Pit Stop

We spent the night in a hotel before heading to the train station to get us one step closer to the mountains.

JJ was my roommate. We had lots of laughs as we worked around the fact that our bathroom light wouldn't work. It was pitch black in there. Thankfully she had a head lantern, which we put to full use!
It was quite a stretch to reach the toilet paper.
But we definitely fit in the bed better than Abe and Matt!

Getting there was NOT half the fun...thankfully!

I am the kind of person that loves visiting places, but dislikes the actual travel it takes to get there....Praise God that I do not live in a time that took months to cross the ocean by boat or the country by covered wagon!

Thankfully along the way, I had some things to keep me going...

...like my sweet friend Melanie, who came to church at 6 a.m. to pray with me (and give me candy) before I left.

Even though our morning started so early, we were still only in Chicago over 12 hours later because of a humongous layover...as you can see...some passed the time reading, some sleeping...we also ate, played cards, etc. etc. etc. Thankfully the team was fun to be around!

Once we were in India, we still had 6 hours of train ride...the train station was quite crowded! Then we had a 3 hour bus ride up very curvy roads (my least favorite leg of the journey!)

But once we get there...it is SO worth it!

Fall Fun

The girls had a fun Halloween with the school parties, visiting neigbhors, eating out, and going to Trunks of Treats at church. Annye wore an outfit from India. Maddie was a Jedi. Jeff made her costume! Maddie has been telling us for two weeks now what she wants to be for Halloween NEXT year! Of course, the ideas are constantly changing, but are still all things Star Wars. Maddie's class went to the Kentucky Museum and BRIMS Science Museum. We had a really fun day. We had a little dress up session while we were at the KY Museum.

We decided to head to Mammoth Cave to enjoy the beautiful weather and changing leaves while we hiked. The weather was beautiful and although the sites were beautiful...there was not much color there. We had a great afternoon together!

I have been out of the country the last two times my brother has been passing through, so it had been over a year since I'd seen him. Thankfully I got home from India the day before he passed through this time, so we were able to visit.

I have lots of pictures of these events posted on Facebook if you're interested in seeing more! Hope you've had a great fall as well!

The Beauty of Creation

My friend and I were talking the other day about what a blessing it is that God made the world so beautiful and colorful...imagine the difference if everything was in black and white. I love the mountains and I love fall...so being at the mountains in the fall (with my family no less) was such a blessing! I hope as you experience the beauty and creativity in the world, it will remind you of how much God loves you! These are some of my favorite nature pictures from our trip.

From one set of mountains to another

Two days after I got back from India, we headed to the Smoky Mountains for a family vacation. It was the first time for my girls to go, so it was fun to show them the places I went a lot when I was a child. Thankfully, some people offered to take some family pictures for us.

Why Not Now?

We've been on vacation and our home computer has crashed, so I haven't started updates yet...but here is a story I sent to people on my blog distribution list. I'll post it here in case you're not on that list.

One thing I want to pass on about the trip now is from a situation one team experienced. They were talking with a lady that had heard the gospel from one of our translators at an earlier date. As they talked, the lady revealed that she believed that Christ was her Savior and wanted to be baptized. The team talked with her about ridding her home of idols and described different scenarios on how and when she could be baptized. The team said that they would talk to the translator, who could come and baptize her at a later date. One of the team members reported that after they had explained the gospel and situation for the fourth time (they wanted to make sure she understood what she was doing and was truly making this commitment), the lady responded with a question that I just can’t get out of my mind…”Why not now?”

Why not now?...so many times we come up with excuses on why not to go on a mission trip (too much money, too busy, kids too young, too scared of an area, too insecure to share our faith, too used to being comfortable, too addicted to creature comforts…). I know that there are legitimate reasons and excuses to not go…but they are normally valid for only a short season. Please pray about how and where you could go this upcoming year…it truly changes you in so many wonderful ways and allows you to see God at work and better understand how big He is and how much He loves the world.

Thankfully, the team did say, “Why not now?!” and they found (put together) a water spot and baptized her then and there. I happened to be on the prayer team that day. One of my team mates had prayed a prayer about Phillip and the Ethiopian eunuch situation repeating itself in this particular valley (see Acts 8:26-40 for the story). Although she prayed it because of a different situation a team encountered…how sweet it was to know that God answered with a resounding YES that very day and that we were able to experience it firsthand!

What a Great Day in Ministry

The first couple of days of ministry have gone well. The hiking the past couple of days have been very strenuous. There have been opportunities to share Christ with others. Today there was one lady who accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior. One family that we shared with had a sick daughter that we prayed over for healing. Last year, this happened at a home and a couple of months later the Lord worked a healing. That family trusted the Lord as their Savior and started church. Please pray, that if it is the Lords will, that this will happen again.

Today, the long range trekking team went out. This is the first time that this has ever been done in this area. Nathan Mattingly, Nathan Fish, Bryan Keene, Matt Sheffield, Will, and Moses hiked 6 hours up the mountains. They are in uncharted territories – no one has heard the name of Jesus here. The first person they shared with accepted Christ. Pray for this new believer, that he might lead the area as the first pastor.

The team is having a great time. They are all healthy. Please pray for the team as they work through some jet lag…pray that they get some sleep.

More Travel

The team should be in the mountains. They hopefully got a good night sleep in the hotel and some in train. If I were to guess, I would say they have gone up the mountain and are very thankful to be in their new home.

Please pray that everyone settles in well. Pray that everyone's constitution will stay good for the week. Tomorrow, they will start their ministry. Pray for the people of this area to have open hearts to the Gospel.

30 Hours Later

Well, 30 hours later the team arrived in a very large city of South Asia. They are weary, travel worn, and ready for a good nights sleep in the hotel. They wake up tomorrow and back to travelling. They will have around 6 hours of train travel to get up into the mountains.

Please pray that they will get some good sleep and be ready to hit the ground running.

Departure Day has arrived!

I'm so excited about leaving in just a bit to head out!

God has brought an illustration into my path two times this week that I want to share with you to help give you a visual of something that we hope to accomplish with our trip:

Hearts without Christ are cold and hard like a piece of ice. The gospel is like hot (even warm) water that when poured over the ice, transforms it and melts it. Our team will encounter many hard hearts in the coming days (won’t everyone no matter where you are?!?!). Please pray that we are Spirit filled and Spirit lead as we pour out the warmth of the gospel in this dark land. Please pray that the hearts that are exposed are transformed…that the process of thawing will at least begin….

As you fill glasses with ice this week, I hope that this illustration will come to mind and that you will take a moment to pray for the lost of South Asia.

My theme verse this year is Psalm 105:1 "Give thanks to the Lord, call on His name; make known among the nations what He has done."

What a great to-do list to fulfill while I'm gone! For all of us to fulfill daily...maybe I should make it my life verse!

My sincere thanks and gratitude who go "along the way" with me through this blog and with your prayers. You are definitely an important part of the team! Be watching for updates when I get back!

My 20th High School Reunion

We had our first reunion in the 20 years since we graduated! It was fun seeing so many people and catching up after all these years! Mary Beth, Carrie, Tricia, and Glenda

John and I were in first grade together!

We plan on getting together again before 20 more years pass!

My niece's 10th Birthday party

The cookie cakes were cute and delicious!

Oops, I missed!

Kool Aid mustache!

The girls had a great time at the party!

Dog for a Day

You just never know what you'll encounter when you work with the Burmese! The girls and I went for our weekly trip to help with homework...but there was lots of excitement that day! First, one of the teens showed up with a dog that someone had given him when they moved out of state. The dog was a big hit, but pets aren't allowed in the apartment complex. I quickly called my friend Caroline and asked her to call the Humane Society and/or Animal Control. Of course, it was after hours for both.

While the calling went on, the baby that had been in the children's hospital in Louisville arrived home, so went and helped them get settled and helped teach how and when to dispense medication. We were so excited they were home!

I had called Jeff, who had also unsuccessfully find someone who would take the dog, at least for the night...so...you guessed it...we ended up bringing the dog home with us! Praise the Lord, there was a small carrying case!

Our neighbor was extremely helpful in getting us supplies to make the dog comfortable during the night and even found a home for the dog the next day! Woo Hoo!
Annye begged to keep the dog...Maddie wouldn't even get close to it!

3 Celebrations - One Day!

Sunday morning started with the baptism of this sweet couple!

Then the girls and I got to meet the newest addition to the Burmese community. Please be in prayer for him, his family, and the doctors. He is missing several fingers and others aren't developed normally (a couple of toes as well). The family is home now.

The night ended with this couple getting married! Our first Burmese wedding! It was a neat experience...baptism and marriage in one day! What awesome milestones to celebrate together! (She just arrived in Bowling Green from the refugee camp 10 days ago!)

It was quite an amazing day...especially considering it's the 15 year mark for Jeff serving at Living Hope!

James Hamilton Park

This park was within walking distance of our house in Scotland. It was so beautiful! There were tons of birds, a walking trail, playground stuff, and lots of water activities, like canoes, sailboats, etc.
This is the loch at the park...the girls did ride the boats one day with their friend Olivia.
A family actually lives in this!
I love this picture of Annye!
One of the fun things at the playpark section.

Champions

Calderwood is definitely a growing congregation, and the number of children involved has grown significantly over the past few years. Champions is an evening ministry for children. We were privileged to participate in their final session before their break for the summer holiday.Maddie playing with the parachute.
Mary Beth teaching.
Jeff and Annye playing around afterwards!

Kelvingrove Art Gallery and Museum

One day in Glasgow, we went to the Kelvingrove Art Gallery (I didn't notice it also said museum until we got home...but it was quite evident once inside). It was huge! There were so many amazing exhibits throughout...we spent hours there, but you could easily do that many times over! We ended up rushing through just so we could feel like we got a glimpse of it all...it was amazing! And free!
The actual building was a work of art...both inside and out!

There were so many amazing paintings

There were lots of hands-on activities for the girls.

There was a bit of everything in this place!

Chris and Brittney's Wedding

Chris and Brittney are part of our small group and are on the South Asia team with me (both last year and this year). They are such a sweet Christian couple and we were excited to celebrate their marriage with them!