Jaipur Baby!!!!

Hello All,
   Sorry for the late post!  I lost my internet stick so have not been able to update much, but by the grace of the Father it has returned!!!!!  I am currently in the city of Jaipur!  It is known as the Pink City because the walls of the old city are made of a red/orange stone and at certain times of the day the city looks pink.  I have also gotten to do some pretty cool things here in the city.  I will not bore you with them now because I would need more time to type it all, and I need sleep. My plan is to write a blog for each of the cities I am visiting complete with photos after I get back to school.  I just do not have the time or energy now. I have been running like crazy since my holidays began.  I hope all of you are wonderful and I can not wait to tell you all about what the Father is doing in the North of India.

I'm in Delhi!!!!!

Well for those that did not know I am now on Christmas holiday!!!!  I am spending my Christmas Break in the North of India.  I am currently in the wonderful city of Delhi...aka the #1 most polluted city.  I have loved the hustle and bustle of life here, but the smog is killing me.  While I am here I am getting to see what some different people are doing in the city.  In the past few days I have gotten to see just small glimpses in what is happening in the city of Delhi.  As this week goes on I will be getting more and more opportunities.  I will be in Delhi until the 26th of December then I will be going to Jaipur and then to Lucknow.  The whole time in each of these cities I will be getting to see what is happening in those cities!

I know that this is a short blog, but I do not have tons to share today.  I just wanted to make sure that you guys know what is happening in my life, and that I am not dead yet.  I hope that soon I will have even more news for you!

LOVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Melissa  

Such a great week!

So this week was great!!! It was stressful, but also wonderful!!!

So to start this week I had a dinner to say goodbye to all the IGs that the school put on and tons of rehearsals for the Staff Pantomime.  I have been working on directing this show since I got back from the 10 day break in October.  Well this Saturday was our dooms day.  So when Saturday finally arrived we had one last rehearsal and then we just had to wait for the show to begin.  While we waited the school was also having their Christmas Dinner.  There was so much food!  I had to eat fast so I did not really get to enjoy it, but what I did get to taste was amazing. Hopefully there will be pictures soon of me in my sari!  I do not have any because my camera broke, but I got it working this morning.

Once the dinner was over we had to run to the assembly hall get our costumes and make-up on before all the kids arrived from the dinner.  Before the show even started you could tell there was just a great energy in the crowd.  The teacher who was announcing the show could not even get a word out before the kids were screaming!  Now before I go much further I need to explain that a Pantomime here is not like the ones at home that no one talk...NO these are all farces and most of the time has jokes based on local things.  Once the show started the kids would not quit cheer and booing and hissing(all normal in a Panto).  Once the show was over all the kids could say was WOW!  They said that it was one of the best Pantos in all the years they had been at the school.  The some of the staff and myself ended the night with a (as my Welsh friend say) A cheeky dance party and then a bonfire by the pool

Cast of Snow White!

Then tonight was just great!  We had a Carol Service under the stars and by candle light!  Different groups of students got up and performed different things, and then we also had a message about the Father.  I loved just getting to sit with one of my dorm girls in my lap the whole time, and singing of the Fathers love and glory.

For things to ask the Father for....1)All the IGs leave on Thursday!!!! One of the IGs is suppose to be back, but his visa extension was denied(He is trying to decide if this is the work of the Father or the Evil One).  2) I leave for my holiday work on Friday so for safety.  3) The Seminary said that I should hear something in the next few weeks (ask that if this is not the path for me that the Father will shut that door, and show me the right way. But if it is his plan that it will all work out)

My Provider

So these last few days the Father has been my provider!  After some really busy weeks this week has slowed down, but I have had a few things that stressed me out.

Right now I am directing a staff play, and 39 staff member that are all older than me are who I am directing.  I know that it may not seem like much, but when you are a little 25 yr old telling a 40-50 yr old what to do it is kind of intimidating for me!  We are now less than a week away from the show going on, and there is still so much to do.  I am hoping it all comes together.  The one thing is that the father has provided many people to come and tell me I am doing such a great job!  It has been encouraging.

Then yesterday the Father blessed me with one of the best gifts I have ever gotten...I got to talk to my family on Skype.  This is the first time that both of our computers were behaving enough to Skype since I left.  I have not seen my family since August 2!  The father knew that I needed to see them, and he provided it so lovingly.  I was so happy the rest of the day. I was walking on cloud 9.

Then today started so bad!  I dropped my internet USB stick in my make-up today, a nail polish bottle shattered on my floor(ruining a new sweater), and my show snapped in half on the way to church.  I was just so frustrated and mad.  Then the great provider gave me even more....We had pot roast for lunch!!!!  I know that back home that would not be a big deal, but here meat is very hard to get sometimes.  When we get pot roast it is such a treat because we have lots, so you can eat lots and get your months fill of iron.  Then I have been craving pineapple, but I do not have a way to store it if I bought it.  So it is one of those things you just kind of forget about.  Well dessert today was fresh pineapple!  I was so happy.

Now I am sitting in my room just relaxing.  I am speaking tonight at one of the Word Clubs we have here.  I am talking about our roots in the Father from Col 2:6-7.  I am very excited because the kids have all told me how excited they are that I am speaking to them.  Then early in the morning aka 4:30 am I get to Skype with my faith family back home.  I can not wait to get to talk to them, and let them see me!  I hope that my internet stays working strong enough to run the call!

Reality Sets In

So it is really starting to hit that almost half my time here is gone.  Which makes me happy and a little sad.  Since it is almost half over this means that most of the IGs that I have been working with this whole time will be leaving, and a whole new set will be arriving in January.  I am not sure how I feel about this.  On all my past trips I have almost always been the one leaving, and the majority of the people I work with staying.  This trip is totally different.  I will be the one staying, and it kinda makes me sad.  I know that if this is the life that the Father has for me then I will have to learn to deal with people leaving.  It hit the hardest today when tonight I was laying my girls down to bed.  They all said "Goodnight Miss Mel. I love you" and they all kissed me on the cheek.  It hit me how much I have been doing with these girl, and how much they look up to me (even when I am not perfect).  I will have a really hard time leaving them in June.

Speaking of leaving....I have decided what I think the Father has for me for next year....are you ready....ok here I go....I am going to go to seminary.  I have sent in my application to Fuller in Pasadena, Ca (I know that is not Oklahoma).  If I am accepted then I will have to be in Cali by mid-September.  I am very excited and nervous, because I do not know how I am going to afford everything that I will need to go back to school.  I know that if this is the Father's plan then he will provide what I need.  I was really hoping to stay here at Hebron, but I realized that if I did it would just me being selfish and not the Father.  I am hoping to hear back from the seminary soon, but I do not know when.

I ask that through this time that you would be talking to the Father for me about this, and I will be think about you to the Father as well. 

YF!

This weekend was YF camp.  YF stand for youth fellowship.  We took around 130 Std 11-13(Sophmores-Seniors) students down to Quiet Corner to have a weekend away to talk about the Father.  The trip down was pretty normal.  The younger girls on my bus singing at the top of their lungs while the older girls shouted at them the be quiet.  Once we arrived that activities start right away.  The first night our speaker brought the word, and then we played some games to get the kids even more excited about the weekend.  The next day we had two session on the word, and then as always fun games and activities.  I got to lead a workshop on how to use drama to please the Father.  It was so much fun seeing the kids act.  We also had a bonfire, and we did s'mores.  For some of the kids it was their first time to ever roast a marshmallow.  Then some of the kids got out their iPods and started playing DJ for the bonfire.  We "dance" in our respective male or female circles, and then headed to bed.  The next day we heard from the word one last time, and then started to pack up.  The last thing we did was listen to how the students had been impacted.  I at first felt like not many students had heard from the Father with how they reacted to the speaking, but then they started to open up about what the Father had been say.  It was such a blessing to hear some of them share.  Some of the students asked if I could come to the next YF camp next semester, and that is encouraging as well.   The bus ride back was cray because the bus we were taking was not rated to take the steep grades of the local mountains.  So they kept kicking girls off the bus to other buses(where they had to stand because there were no free seats)  Once we finally made it back we were so happy to be off that bus.

Today I just spent in my room preparing for an assembly that I am speaking at on Wednesday.  I am talking about the Father's plans for our lives.  I am hoping that it goes well.  I hope that all of you are doing good, and that you all have a great Thanksgiving.

In India some place that are considered churches you have to take your shoes off...these are just some of the kids shoes at YF.  

Great Weekend!!!!

Well as promised in my last blog this blog might be a little longer.  This last week was great, well mainly the weekend.  So this whole last week was busy…I kinda felt like I never stopped moving some days.  Then the weekend hit.  Now the weekend was very busy but it was so much fun.  Here at Hebron the school likes its sports.  So this last weekend was the cross country event.  Now we did not compete with any other schools it was just our kids against each other.  Almost all of the little ones ran in the race (shortened track of course), and 6 from each of the older classes ran as well(they run I think 5 km).  I got to work the little ones race, by standing by the path and cheering them on.  Their race for about half of them was almost 1.5 km long.  By the time they got to me they were almost done.  You could see it in their faces that they just wanted to stop but they didn’t.  Once all the kids past me I went to the finish line to see the seniors of the school running alongside the little ones and cheering them on to keep moving till it was over.  It was so sweet to see.  It reminded me of hear Brandon and Chris speak in the student group back home about the older ones reaching down to the younger ones.  That happens here at Hebron all the time.

After cross country I got to meet up with the couple that I stayed with in Bangalore.  They had never been to Ooty so they decided to come down for the weekend.  They took me to lunch and I gave them a tour of the school.  Then it was time to get ready!!!  Ready for what you might be asking…well for the Student Council Event.  These events are amazing.  There were all kinds of food everywhere from all different cultures to try out, and we get to dress up for these events.  This year’s theme was Shrek and his Fairy Tale Land.  See could dress up as anything from a fairy tale.  My roomies and I went as the 3 Musketeers.  The event was well put together and just wonderful.

Jade, Me, and Amanda as the 3 Musketeers!

The next day was Sunday, so we had church, but also all of us IGs had to plan a service for that evening, so most of the day was getting ready for that event.  I got to teach the IGs a drama that I designed and it was just nice to get to see my work on stage again.  All the staff said the service was a great success.  We had one of our girls tell her story with the Father, and we also had so really great illustrations.  After the service many people stayed to talk to the father, and seek him.  I got to talk with one young girl about life and making choices for the father.  It was just so wonderful.  After a whole weekend of being busy and always going to just take the time to look at the father for who he is. 

A few things to be talking to the almighty about are sickness(it is flying through the school like crazy), stamina, and just really being committed to our jobs here as staff and teachers.  This weekend we are taking about 130 kids to a retreat about the father.  We will be leaving on Friday after school and coming back Sunday after lunch.  Many of these kids do not know the father so please ask that he would show himself strongly.  

This pic below is just the father showing off his handy work.

Short Sweet and to the Point

Well folks I am going to do something that I am sure you never thought would happen....a short blog!  I know that sometimes I drag on and on but it would not be me if I didn't.

So this week has passed pretty uneventful.  I think everyone is kinda keeping their heads down just ready for it to be Christmas.  All the IGs are starting to realize how soon they go home, and we are all getting sad.

The only thing that happened really this week for me is I got sick.  This is the first time I have really been sick here.  It was nothing big just an upset stomach and a little fever, but the women at Hoz(hospital of the school) fixed me right up.  In about 24hrs of getting sick I felt like new, but maybe more rested from sleeping while I was sick.

Outside of that not much has happened.  I know that next weeks blog will be longer and many more great details.  So prepare yourselves for a good read!

Thank all for dealing with my rambles, and rants!  It is helpful to know that people back home still care what is happening here and in my life with the father. 

I found the civilized world!!!!

OK I know that most of India is civilized world, and that is pretty much true with Ooty.  But what I found was amazing!  I left for my mid-term break on the 15th of October after having given the PSAT to some students.  I got on a overnight bus to head to Bangalore.  Most of the buses here in India are pretty much like old school buses, but more uncomfortable.  I lucked out and had to take a charter bus style bus with blankets and water bottles provided.  It was a sacrifice but it was worth it :).  The ride to Bangalore was 8 hrs but I got to sleep for most of it.  Once I arrived it was about 5:30 am, and I was so tired.  The couple I was going to be staying with picked me up and then showed me straight to my bed.  I got to sleep until 11:30 which was so nice.  After that we just kinda hung around the apartment, then someone said "hey are you hungry?"  I of course said yes...so we went to KFC.  I have not had KFC in months and it was so nice to see things that looked and tasted like home.  After that night every day was wonderful.  The couple I lived with had lived overseas in different places for 27 yrs, so they had gotten really good about cooking western food with the supplies you could get here.  So I Western food all the break.  I also finally got to eat at a few other amazing restaurants.  One of them I am sure you may have heard of...it is a little place called Taco Bell.  I got to eat at India's first Taco Bells.  They had to have phonetic spelling of some of the food so that the people would know how to order.  They did not have any beef(beef is kinda hard to find here...its that whole holy cow thing), but the food tasted so much like Taco Bell back home.  Then one of the highlights was one of the other restaurants we ate at.  The name of the restaurant is The Only Place, it is called that because it is the only place to get BEEF!!!!  I got a huge steak.  It was so nice to have a nice piece of meat.  It was opened by a couple one from America and one from India.  I felt like I was back home eating at any normal restaurant.
OK before it sounds like all I did was eat(which is a lot of what I did, but did not gain any of the 11lbs that I have lost since I got here.)  I also got to go see another palace.  The palace was so pretty.  They actually let you go into the private areas of the family and see family snap shots of the kids growing up.  It was nice just to see them living these normal lives.  I also got to go this other "palace"  It was the biggest joke of a palace.  it was more like a palace apartment.  It took us 45mins to get to this place and it cost us Rs 400($9, but that same Rs 400 would buy me another steak dinner).  Once we get there it cost Rs 100 to get in...then it only took us 10 mins to get through the entire place and read all the signs posted.  Totally not worth it.  Now I am off that soap box.  I also got to go to a mall.  Now this mall looked like any mall in the States except all the stores sold Indian stuff and not American.  I got to hang out with another worker that is about 21, and we just walked around the mall for hours.  We even tried to go in to a little haunted house in the Halloween spirit, but we got too scared when they gave us rubber gloves to wear and then it looked like we were in a dead end so we ran out as fast as we could.  Me and her also went to the movies.  In India the movies are normally cut up really bad to make it fit in a time limit for the theatre.  Well I found out on this trip that it only happens in the tiny towns, but in the big towns you actually get to see the whole movie.  There were a few weird things about this theatre though.  You have to go through a security check point to check for food, bombs, guns, knifes, or cameras.  If you have a camera they make you turn it in or the batterie in so that you can't pirate the film.  Then once you get to the snack counter the food is different too.  They have the normal sodas and popcorn, but then they have fruit bowls, donuts, and fried Indian treats.  Half way through the movie they pause it for a potty break and snack break.  We went to see The Three Musketeers.  It was utter rubbish.  The acting was some of the worst I have ever seen.  I do not know what Orlando Bloom was even thinking when he took the role. 
This vacation was much needed.  Not just to rest from school, but the recharge with the Father.  The couple I was staying with was so encouraging.  Every night we would read from the word and just talk to the father about our cares and worries.  Then every morning I would come out and they were having their personal time with the father in the living room as a couple.  It was just so encouraging.  Then one night we had some women over to talk about the what the stress of being on the field can do to your marriage if you are not careful.  Then another night we went to study the word with a group of people.  We did the entire book of Amos in one night! 
Now I am back at school and the first week in almost over.  Everything is in full swing, and it is back to the old grind stone.  I have a new drama I am working on for Christmas.  The staff every year do a Pantomime.  This show is not like doing mime, but it is more of a comedy making fun of things that happen at school.  I am working with some other teacher to rewrite a script of Snow White right now, then we will start rehearsals, then have the show in December just before the kids leave.  I have also picked up some more drama lessons with the Std 7 kids and they are a hand full.  They all have super stores of energy that I can barely keep up with. 
Some things that you can talk to the father about are just making our time with the kids intentional.  Sometimes it is so easy to get into a routine and not be open to the prompting of the Father.  Ask about good times for the IGs that are leaving in December.  Also the plans for my December are starting to come together so now its the planning on how and when to get places.  I hope this blog finds all of you well and that the Father is blessing you as much as he is blessing me.

Where has the time gone????

The title of this post is a question that I have been asking myself for weeks now.  I feel like I have just arrived in India a few days ago, but it was really 2 months ago.  I feel like the time has been going by soooooo fast.  Well I will get on with the full update, because if I don't then I will just be rambling the whole time about time.

DRAMA WEEK!!!!!
   Is finally over.  I have never had such a great experience getting to watch so much drama.  For 2 weeks we had drama performances almost every night.  The students all did great.  The kids in my show got a few award, and they are Runner Up for Best Actor and Runner up for Best Actress and the Best Actress award.  I was so proud of my kids.  One of them even got a special award for composing and playing her own work in the show.  All of the shows were wonderful.  The one that I loved the best was the Std 13 play.  In that play it is completely done by the students.  This year they did The Hunchback of Notre Dame.  Can we say WOW!  It would have put some college or even some professional shows to shame. They got a standing ovation both times they performed.  I was very proud of them.

One thing that drama week was also great for was helping teach the lesson of humility.  The kids who thought they did great sometimes were not the ones that got awards.  It really showed the kids that we can not just always brag on ourselves but lift up and encourage others as well.

Now I am on break...we are having our "Fall Break".  So right now I am sitting in the lovely apartment of some fellow workers from the company.  Just enjoying the sound of nothing.  It is very calm and peaceful.  That is just what the doctor ordered.  I am very glad that I have this moment of peace and freedom.  Oh and I also had a real hamburger yesterday.  One of the teachers from the school ordered some meat before I left and we made some huge burgers.  I could barely eat the whole thing, but it was nice to have a whole lot of beef.

I hope you are all having wonderful days and the Father is blessing you as much as he is blessing me!  I can not wait to hear from you and I hope you all have a great day!!!

Lots of fun and some struggles all in one week!

       Ok before this blog officially gets going I feel I must apologize for its lateness.   Here in India the Internet runs a little different.  It kinda works like it would on your cell phone.  You pay so much a month for so much internet.  Well I went in the other day and said I needed to pay for my internet that month (that is another thing you have to pay for it before you use it).  I was told that all I needed to to was pay Rs. 50 and that would cover me.  I thought it was too good to be true, because I normally pay Rs. 671.  But I paid the man and went on my merry way.  Well then I go to use my internet and it is working for like 20 mins then all of a sudden it stops downloading or uploading....because I was out of internet credit...and not only out of internet credit it had also eaten into my talk time credit.  So now I had no phone, and no internet :(  So that is why this blog is so late again so sorry.
Now onto the official blog!
This last week was a very long week.  It all started normal and seemed like it would be smooth sailing.  Then it was time for Drama Rehearsal.  My students had yet to make it through our show once to even know how long the show runs, because we have a time limit since it is a competion.  Our time limit is 45 mins...did I mention my show is The Diary of Anne Frank ya thats right a show that normally runs around 2 hrs down to 45 mins.  Do you feel the tension yet?  Well we finally make it through the final scene and it is time for a full run thru.  We have 1 hr and 20 mins, should be plenty of time right...wrong!  At a hour in we had not even made it through half the show.  Now I am starting to get stressed, and starting to get very concerned.  So I tell my kids I will make more cuts and they have to know their lines, because the show is one October 6th and the 11th.
Then it happened...one thing that I hoped would happen...it was the IG weekend away.  So that means that all the IGs  got to go out of town where ever we wanted to get some relaxation before we had the craziness of drama week.  So all the IGs pack up and head to a town called Mysore.  To start the adventure off right we are taking a bus to Mysore.  It is a 5 hr bus of crazy.  The roads are so curvy.  For those of you who have been to Falls Creek imagine the High Road and multiply that by 100, and you will get a rough idea of what I mean.  The drivers take some of the curves at 40-50 mph when it should be more like 10-15 mph.  At some points I would not have been surprised to hear that the bus came off one side of its wheels for a second or two.  Ok enough about the bus there, Once we finally get to Mysore we have to find the place we will be sleeping.  Our two older IGs have voted to go the expensive route and stay at a nice hotel.  Us young IGs have left our fate of rooms in the hand of one of the youngest IGs.  He said he knew a guest house for people that work for the Father, and that we could stay there cheap.  As we found out later, he did know the place but had not been there in like 5 yrs, and did not really know where it was....So now we are standing 8 white people in the middle of a town we know nothing about trying to find a guest house that we have no idea where it is.  Finally we call the guest house and they give us very vauge general directions, and finally we find it.  Once we get there we find that the room we will be in is just that one room for 8 people.  6 girls and 2 boys, but the good thing is for all the night we will be there it will only cost us Rs. 2000 for the 2 nights. (that is what the older couple was paying per night for their stay)
So once we unpacked we decided to explore the city.  One of our first discovers in this new place is the rickshaw drivers are very aggressive and all want to give you a "tour of the whole city for very low price" .  If you did not buy their tour after they dropped you off they would drive on the street next to you try to sell you again.  We also found that if you just talk to some rickshaw drivers that they are so desprate for a fare that they will walk all over the city with you showing you around for no charge hoping that the next day you will call them for a tour.
Well I do not want to drag on and on about Mysore soo basically to wrap the week up....I got sick on our second day, and did everything but did not enjoy all of it.  I got to see a palace covered in 96,000 light. I rode a camel and an elephant, and was proposed to by a crazy drunk Indian man.  So that is the weekend(if you want more details later just let me know).
Now on to the main struggle of the week.  When I am overseas I normally have a little home sickness, but this last week I had the worst case ever.  It was on the day we got home from Mysore.  We arrived back in Ooty around 9 pm, andhad not eaten all day.  So we IGs began to talk food and where to eat.  Most places in Ooty start to close around that time so we have to move quick.  We finally find this little Indian resturant that was still open.  So we go in sit down and they hand us the menus.  I look down and have no idea what anything was on the menu.  The minute I saw that I almost broke down in tears.  So I excused myself and come back to the school.  All I felt like I wanted to do was cry all night.  So I did what I do sometimes when I am upset, I turned on my iPod and played it as loud as I could.  I had been listening earlier and it was shuffling through songs about the Father.  At that point I know that the Father had to be controlling my iPod because all the songs that played were about his strength and love for us, and how even in struggles he will pull us up.  Then I decided to go to the word.  I read in Ps. and it was all about the Father providing for us, and strengthening us.  So after about 45 mins, I felt so much better and at peace.  I love how when we feel our weakest the almighty can just pull us up with the littlest things like an iPod shuffle list.
Well like always my blog is another novel.  Sorry, but I hope it give you insight into my life.  I would love to hear about you and what the Father is doing for you.

The palace in Mysore

Sore Muscles and a Quiet Corner

Well this weekend was very eventful.  My dorm and the dorm of the same aged boys went out camping at a place called Quiet Corner.  I would not really call it camping because we pretty much stayed at a retreat center in the jungle.  One of the really cool things about this place is it is run by people who know the father, and the money they raise there helps to get the word out to others.  But there will be more about Quiet Corner later.

The adventure started on Friday at 3 pm.  All the kids were checked out of school early, and all of them came running to the dorms ready to leave.  So we hopped onto the bus, and set off for Quiet Corner.

We rode on the bus for 20 mins and all was wonderful.  I sat at the very front of the bus.  I mean the very front.  If we would have had an accident I would have no hope, but to just through the windshield.

My view from my Seat

After 20 mins we told the kids that we would be walking for some of the way because the bus had to go around the long way.  So we got out cheerfully ready to walk.  It was great for the first 5 mins....then I heard our fearless leader say we would be walking 2 hrs with 32 kids...insert frown here...Then we saw exactly what we would be walking...36 hairpin bends which at some points they had signs saying that cars could only be in first gear to take them...oh did I forget to mention that we would be walking on the main road between the hills and the plains.  So the walk started slowly walking down the mountain and it got slower and slower.  In the first 10 mins. one of my little girls fell and got hurt.  She got up and kept walking.  Soon she started hurting really bad, so we called one of the other sponsors who was driving a jeep like car.  So he picked her and a few other injured girls up.  That was wonderful for the first 5 mins, until my girls figured out if they were "hurt" then they would get to ride in the car and not have to walk.  So we began to have so many "injuries".

Before I knew it we had been walking for over a hour, and it was tea time...this school has tea no matter where we are...(football game or side of a mountain)...so the kids got a box apple juice and a bag of chips.  As we were sitting there trying to catch our breath I hear a group of kids screaming because a wild animal has came out of the bush.  I run over preparing myself to see a group of crazy monkeys, a rabid dog, or a tiger(that was a big stretch).  When I get over there I find my kids staring in terror at 2 little goats.  These goats did not even come up to my knees, but my kids were screaming like the goats had already eaten one of them.  So me and the other sponsors got the job of screaming at the goats and chasing them off.

The Wild Beast!

Once we finally got moving again I had lost even more of my girls to "injuries" so they had been put in the car to ride in comfort.  We kept moving and just encouraging the boys to keep strong when they questioned why they could not ride in the car.

 The next thing I know we have lost all the girls but 2 and then we had 18 boys, 3 male sponsor, and 1 female sponsor aka yours truly.  At this point it is starting to get dark and we sponsors are starting to really get nervous about the real wild animals coming out of the jungle to get us.  So we had the kids go single file and we marched them as fast as we could possible go to make sure we were not eaten.  By this point in the journey my arms and my shoulders have been used as a crutch to help people get down the mountain.  This is were the sore muscles start coming into play...so finally we make it down the mountain to meet up with the bus again at 5:45.  (After much discussion among the sponsors we decided that our hike was about 14 km, which in miles is 8.7miles.)  We all know what great physical shape I am in, so at this point I was hurting so bad.

Once we finally get on the bus it is so nice just to sit, but when it is time to get off I start to realize how sore I really am, and I am ready to go to bed...this did not happen.  We still had not had dinner and we also had to play games.  So finally at 10pm we tell the kids to go to bed.  I got to lay my girls down for bed, but they had other plans.  They did not finally start being quiet until 11pm.  I finally got to go to sleep and it was so nice.

The next day we all got up at 7am and after a bucket bath I went to have breakfast and to get ready to go swimming.

The food I do have to say at this place was wonderful.  Everything we ate was Indian food and we had no silverware so we ate with our hands. Quiet Corner was nice compared to what I had in my head of what it might be.(insert thoughts of mud huts)  The whole retreat center was not that big but the people who kept it worked very hard to keep it beautiful, and clean which in India that is hard.

Pictures of Quiet Corner.

Our Rooms

Jungle Behind the Rooms

This trees roots grow from the branches to the ground

Closer view of the tree

A trash can...yes you put the trash in the fishes mouth

Bamboo Path

In the middle of the Bamboo

 Back to the story.  So we went swimming in the river, which was fun and great until one of the little girls figured out that there was glass in the river the hard way.  So after she got cut, my fun in the river was done....I just stood on a rock close to side so that I jump out easily if I need to.  We also got to go shopping as well.

Then today was had a little service about the father.  The whole theme of this time was Kindness...these little ones have a hard time loving each other.  So we talked about the Fathers forgiveness and his kindness to us.  It was wonderful because some the kids seemed to really understand what was being talked about.  The other great thing is some of the kids believe in other types of powers, so they got to hear about our Father.  Then later I did get a little rest, in a wonderful hammock.  So I just put my iPod in and took pictures from there.  It was such a nice break from things.

 Pictures from the Hammock

Now that I am back home and typing this I am so tired, but I am not ready to go to bed yet.  I have a day off tomorrow so hopefully I will get to sleep in.  I hope that this blog finds all of you well and that you are seeing the Father work in wonderful ways.  I can not wait to come home and tell all my stories in person.  I miss you all and I love you!!!

Happy Birthday to my ever so lovely sister!!!!!

This blog is more of a way for me to say Happy Birthday to Deb.  I have always loved having her as a sister.  I know that we have had our fights but what sisters have not had their fights.  I have loved that Everytime that I call even from another country we can spend hours on the phone.  I hope that today is a great day for you Deb!!!! I also hope that your birthday package arrives and you enjoy the things I sent.
-Love
   Melissa

Runny Noses and Germs

Well this first part of the blog is going to be just as it sound...all about having a cold in India.  I now am the proud owner of my very own cold!  I got it for free, in fact some one so kindly gave it to me.  Today I actually got kicked out of one of my classes for being sick, and spreading germs!  Well I guess that's life.  The whole campus seems to be down with a cold.  All you hear all day is sniffles, and noses being blown!  I am hoping that my ownership will soon be over. 

Besides that all is wonderful here!  I have been loving the fact that I know back home it is most likely still pretty warm, but here it is feeling like it would in late November back home.  I have also love the dorm girls I get to work with!  On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings I have to wake them up for school at 7 am...(me=not a morning person) the thing that is making the mornings worth it is every time I wake them up I get to share about the Father.  Not all my girls know who he is...so it is great to see them begin to learn more of him.  They are just little sponges taking it all in.

Classes are also going really great!  My play is The Diary of Anne Frank, and so far my students at loving the script...at first they hated it and thought it was going to be super boring. I have loved getting to see them walking across campus carrying their script already memorizing their lines.

The father has truly blessed me, and I can not wait to see what more he does for me!  If you talk to the Father please talk to him about my cold, and also just for organization for all of the staff and IGs.  I know that he has great and might things planned but we must wait on him to provide all that he has.

Full Swing

Well the world of Hebron School is in full swing.  It feels like I have already been here for a few months, but it has only been about a month.  I cna not believe how the time is moving here.  So to give a small update on how things have been...

The work load has not been as stressful as I had thought it would be before I came, but I have been told it will get worse as the semester goes on.  I am hoping that soon I will be moving so much that I do not even have time to rest in the day. 

Monday was our first day off, and we celebrated one of the other IG's birthdays.  We made scones and had a proper English tea party.  Then we went out on the town.  We even went to a garden made of thread.  There will be pictures on facebook soon, but I do not have them on my camera(you have to pay extra to take pictures, so we only paid for one person to take pictures).  The flowers were beautiful and completely made of thread, canvas, and glue.  They did not use any needles to make it either.  Then we went to a few other places that are just to weird to even try to describe in writting(ask me about it when I come home).

One thing that is very exciting is that almost all the staff have arrived.  All the IG's are here one more staff member is arriving tomorrow night and rooming with me for now.  Then we are just waiting on one more staff member to have a full staff. 

I can not wait to have all the things going like a well oiled machine. 

I also got to go to my first futbol match.  One of the other teacher had to explain the rules to me, and to make sure I understood why the ball was being tossed in from the side.  Our team won the game, and the school has been a buzz about it all.  They actually cancelled classes so that almost the entire school got to go to the game and watch.  I have loved being here, and can not wait to see what else the Father brings my way for this year.

So the First week down.

Well all the first week of school over. It went great!!!!!! I am for now in the mornings working with the Standard (St) 5 class which are kids about 9-10 yrs old.  We have 13 kids in class, and they are all angels.  I am also attached to the Sunshine Dorm these girls are St 5-6 so about 9-11yrs old.  They are great as well(sometimes challenging but wonderful)  I am also directing a play for half of St 9 (age 13-14 yrs old) so that is about 20 kids.  Then I am also teaching a drama class to the St 8 (12-13 yrs old).  

I am loving all the things I am getting caught up in.  I am also asking for more. So hopefully I will have more on my plate in the next few weeks.  I know it sound like a lot I am already doing, but it is mainly in the morning for classes and mainly in the evening for dorms so my afternoons are very slow.  

I have loved seeing some the kids transform just in the few days they have been here from shy to now talking up a storm.  I have also loved to see some of their wisdom at such a young age.  I told a story the other day to the dorm girls, and as soon as I was done one of the girls said "Hey I know a verse about that!"

 The Father has been reminding me daily of the idea of "out of the mouth of babes"  I can not wait to see more of what the father has for students and for me over this next year. 

A few things that you can be thinking about for me are directions for me. I know that this year is far from over but I do want to start asking now for guidance.  Also for plans to start falling into place for this whole year, and also for good rest for me(I have not been getting much good sleep).

Thank you to all of you who read this blog, and thank you for all your wonderful thoughts.

Tears, Goodbyes, and Laughter

Well the time has finally come!  The kids are all here.  The school has such a new life and so much more noise.(including the extra monkeys jumping on my roof all night)

The dorm I was assigned to is the youngest girls dorm on campus called Sunshine Dorm.  We have 11 girls around the age of 9 or 10.  That is were the tears enter the scene.  When I worked at Camp Nunny, I would see girls get home sick and remind them they would be going home soon so not to worry. Here some of these kids may not see their parents again til the end of the year.  So sometime it is very hard to encourage them. 

The goodbyes were all so sweet and touching.  You would see grown boys walking hand in hand with their mom, just holding onto that last moment together.  You saw some people just giving hug after hug, then some parents just gave a kiss and walked away.  At first the last one seems so harsh til you see the parents faces just covered with tears, and they had to walk away to be strong for their kids. 

Then there is the laughter that has filled our dorm.  Within 5 min. of all the girls getting there you would have thought that they had all been friends forever.  It is very sweet to watch the girls who have been at the school before look after to new girls.  They take the job very serious to care for each other.  In one of the classes I worked in today a little boy ran in and said Miss Mel one of the boys is missing...My mind started to race of what should I do...then he said well he was crying so maybe he is just homesick I will go look again and check on him.  The other teacher told me not to worry and let the older boy handle it.  Sure enough the new boy had been crying in the corner, and just needed a friend. 

I can not wait for the first full week of school.  They already have the kids in full swing.  My girls in my dorm already have homework or prep as they call it here.  They are all right now sitting in the dining hall with 2 prefect watching over them to make sure they get all their work done on time.  Tomorrow I get to meet with the kids I will be directing for Drama Week, and I am already having to cast tomorrow(I have 8 weeks to get a whole show together).  Then  next week I will start teaching drama lessons to some of the younger classes as well. 

Some things that you can talk to the father about are that the kids adjust quickly, that I will be prepared for lessons next week, and just for the staff as they teach not only basic subjects but also the subject of our Father.  Many of these kids have never met Dad so they are in as much need as anyone else. 

I hope you all have a great day, and know that I think of you often.

Lets get this party started right!

These last few days have been great.  I have really begun to feel like dad wants me in this country forever.  Just seeing how he is working and moving in this place is amazing.  I wnet to a new church today and the service was wonderful.  The music was lead by peple from all different ethinic groups, and the teaching was so powerful!  Just seeing the Father move in such mighty ways just spurs me on to look for his next big step in my life.

One thing here that just shows the fathes sense of humor here is the weather.  I woke up this moring and the sun was shining and it felt like an early spring day in Oklahoma.  Right now I am looking out the window and the sky is black and it is absolutely pouring rain.   I have been told in a few hours it will most likely be back to the sun and heat.

A few things that you can talk to the father about is on Tuesday all the student will arrive again, and classes start on Wednesday.  Some of these kids will be going from very far away, and may not see their parents again till the end of this year or longer.  As all the staff and student being to adjust just ask the Father to guide us when problems arise.

It's almost here!!!!!!

Tomorrow is the first day of work, and I am sooooo excited!  We will be working with all of the staff kids while their parents are in meetings.  I am getting to work with some of the youngest kids, and I love that!  We are getting to teach lessons from the book, do crafts, and play games.  I think we will have 17 kids in my group alone.  After this weekend we will have one day off on Monday(for Indepence Day) then the student all start to arrive on Tuesday.  Then classes start on Wednesday, and my duties as a drama person start Thursday!  I know that as soon as everything start things will get crazy, but I can not wait to have it all hit at once!  We have been very bored lately, because it is all just prep work and not actual work.  I can not wait to see all the smiling faces on Tuesday. 

Oh an update on the room situation...I am now staying in a room alone, and hopefully will be able to unpack soon.  I maybe staying at this room for the whole time or I may be moving to another room in the next few weeks.  I am just ready to be able to set up shop in my room, and then if I have to move then I will just repack later.

Please be talking to dad about this upcoming week.  It is going to be stressful for all involved!  Also just for good rest!

So much love for all

The last few days have been wonderful!  I have got to see the real heart of some of the workers here for the people of this city.  On Saturday we went to an orphanage and the kids were just all so beautiful.  If I could bundle them all up and take them home I would.  They sang for us and also taught us a song in the local language of Tamil.  Then some of us IGs got up and sang for them...some good old golden oldies from our youth.  Then on Sunday night we got to go do a soup run.  We did not have soup at all, but that is what they have always called it so there you go.  We went to the homeless sleeping on the streets and gave them a bun of bread and some chai.  It is not much but they would just smile as you gave them this. 

As this week began we have been doing training, and everything at school is in full swing prepping for the kids to arrive.  I have been asked to teach a drama class for some students once a week, and I have been picking my script for my group do.  I can not wait for them to arrive!  I know this is short, but the dinner bell just rang and I am very hungry.  Then tonight is a ladies night where we are getting some local clothes others have left for us and we are all getting wrapped tonight(in a saree).  I will have pictures soon, but I have not been able to find my cord.  I still have not gotten to unpack because we are in temp housing.  More to come!!!!

I'm not dead yet!

Hello all from ever so cold India...

    Well here is my first blog from India, and I am not really sure how to start.  There have been so many things that have happened over the last few days.

   So I guess I will start at the begining of the journey.  On Tuesday August 2nd I left for India feeling rather good about everything.  Made it to Dallas fine, and went to check to see if there was any seat closer to the front of the plane.  The lady at the counter then tells me that she does not even see me on the flight, and does not know how I checked in because I was not booked on the flight....this is when my heart began to race.  I looked at her with I am sure deer in the headlights look and just said "excuse me"  Then she realized she was looking at the wrong flight and I was really booked on the flight I needed.  So I get on board and find out that I am sitting next to 3 kids with no parents in sight.  Apparently they were going to London on vacation, and the parents were in 1st class and the kids got put in economy.  Well as you can imagine it made for an interesting ride.  All of them telling the same story over and over to me as they played musical chairs on the plane.  I only saw the parent twice the rest of the time the flight attendant was coming and going from 1st class to check on them at the parents request.  I finally get to London and have to RUN for the next flight.  I come around the corner to where I have to go through immigration and the line is huge. There is no way that I would be making it. So I grabbed a airport employee, and told him I was going to be late. So he put me in the line for 1st class and priority members.  I made it to the flight with 10 min to spare.  Once on the flight I slept.  I slept most of the flight, except when the girl next to me was elbowing me or the service cart was hitting me.  But on this flight I did get to see my first sign of the Indian people's kindness.  There was very large pregnant woman sitting in the row across the aisle from me. It was very obvious she was very uncomfortable.  So a man that had paid much more for his ticket offered her his seat to be able to have more room.  The rest of the flight were really uneventful.

    Then came the taxi ride.  It took us 2 1/2 hrs to get to the school from the airport.  The road was very curvy.  There was 36 hairpin turns that our drive did not feel the need to slow down for.  One really cool thing about the taxi ride is the random monkeys that were everywhere.  They were just laying on the side of the road hanging out.

    Once I finally made it to the school I was tired, in desprate need of a shower, and in very desprate need to brush my teeth!  When we arrived the kitchen was closed, but they opened up quickly to make me and my taxi buddy Liz some lunch.  After lunch we took a very quick cold shower(the hot water does not always work).  Then dinner then we passed out. 

     The next morning we woke up feeling much better, and decided to go exploring. We were told that we had to go see a movie in the town, because these movies are well known films they have just been cut like crazy so you may not really get to see all the vital information.  We were told that it was a very funny experience that all that come to India should have.  The movie was suppose to be Cowboys vs Aliens.  Well we got down to town and found it had changed to a Hindi film so not really worth seeing.  So we just walked around the town with some of the current staff and they gave us a small tour.  After we walked back up to the school(me huffing and puffing the whole way, because we are at 7500 ft right now), and just spent the rest of the night relaxing.  We had tea time twice that day one for morning tea and then after dinner tea. 

   The plans for today are to maybe go back to the market to buy some fruit, then later in the evening we are going to go to an orphanage to sing songs with the kids, and bring them some goodies.  I really can not wait to meet them, and just hug them all. 

   Well sorry for such a long blog! I will try better next timeto shorten things, but I just wanted to share my adventure with all of you.  Hopefully I will be able to get some pictures soon for you to see.

   Just a few things that you can talk to dad about are right now not all of the staff/IGs have visas yet so we are still waiting on those.  Next is just for getting used to everything and the systems the school has.  Last is just for unity of the staff as we all come together to work for a greater cause then ourselves.

28 Day til Departure!!!!

Well I thought that I would give an update on how everything is going.

1st) I have been amazed how the Father has provided for me!  There have been people giving right and left, and it has been awesome!  I am so excited to see how all of this giving gets used, because I know it has to be for great things.

2nd) I have been a little stressed about a few things lately.  The first is my visa.  I have been waiting on a letter from the school to arrive, so that I can apply.  Well the letter arrived today...but it was in a package that had to be signed for so of course no one was home so I have to get it tomorrow.  The second stress has been one of my flights.  I am flying from OKC to Dallas to London then from London to Bangalore then on from there.  The stress is that change of planes in London.  I have 1 hr 45 min, which seemed like enough time...but according to London Heathrow's website it takes 90 mins to make the transfer I have to make.  That is just such a close call.  Then to make matters worse the last few times I have looked up the flight from Dallas to London it has been delayed by over a hour.

I know that I need to let Father take care of things, but it is just so easy to stress about it.  I have never missed a flight before, so I really do not know what all I should or shouldn't do if I do miss a flight.

3rd) I am really getting excited!!!!  I feel like India is where I am going to live my whole life working for Father, so this trip is like a dream come true.  I do not know what all the almighty has in store for me, but I know that he will work in mighty ways!  I hope that all of you also have dream you feel the Father has given you that you can strive for.

Well thank you for letting me rant for a minute.  Please feel free to ask questions, or just to give advise if you have any.  I know that I do not know everything, and would love the knowledge of your experience.

-Melissa Chambers

Waiting

Why is it so hard to wait sometimes?  Sometimes I feel like I spend my life waiting for things. Today is not different.  I am super excited that the people I met here at training are leaving to their service, but I am still here.  I have loved every minute of the training and would not give it back for anything.  This week I have been so encouraged in the Father's plans for my life.  I have seen others much stronger then me talk of how the holy one has taken and changed their lives.  I can not wait to see what the all mighty has for me in the future.  I know that if I wait on him that he will give me much more then if I push him to give to me now now now.  I am just so encouraged by the others who have committed themselves to the ever loving Father.  I am so ready to serve him at any cost to myself.  I hope that I never go back to anything I was.  I can not wait for the day that I am not waiting to see my Father's face and know that I was a good and faithful servant.  I hope that I will always be a strong tower not in my own strength, but in the strength of the great and mighty one!  So you maybe saying to yourself this all started with waiting...well that is because we must always wait on our father to lead us in his time, which normally means wait!

Day Three of Training!

Another day done!  The way the Father leads when you are with other like minded people is so powerful. I can not believe that this week is almost over.  I will be so sad when I get home, and not get to really see these people every day.  Today we talked more of the nuts and bolts of working.  The medical, conflict resolution, and etc...  I have gotten the great opportunity to be given advise from many many many wonderful workers of the king.  They have given words of encouragement, and words of advice to help me further my own work!  This company has impressed me so so much.  They are not worried if I ever come back and work with them, but that I do what my purpose is.  They have such a strong desire to see the holy one emphasized.  I really love that they are just there to support me and the fathers work for me.  I am hoping that the father will being to even more show what the mighty one has for me.

Day Two of Training

All I can say is WOW!!!!  I love love love this training!  Today was nothing but seminars on how to better serve and how to better be with the Father.  I feel like I am on mind overload. I think the best way I heard it described today was it is like trying to drink from a fire hose.  The power of the Father is so strong in this place.  I can not wait for tomorrow.  I have loved that no one here has really pushed or pulled toward just doing one thing, but that it has been all about what the Father wants.  I was I had all day just to type all the things I learned, but I don't.  Just ask me later and I will fill you(most likely with more info then you want)

PS: Please be talking to the Father for me...I have been very sore all day!!! 

First day of training!!!

LET THE TRAINING BEGIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ok i know that it may seem a little dramatic to start a blog like that, but what else would you expect from me?  Today I started training for India.  It was amazing!!!! We spent the whole time today talking about how the Father has worked in our lives to get us to this point.  I have already met some amazing people with all amazing stories.  I can not wait to hear more and more.  I also got to meet another girl going to India(not with me). It was kinda funny we had barely talked 5 minutes and it was like we had always been friend.  I can not wait to see what all is in store for this week, but all I know is that the Lord is going to great things. 

Plans have changed.

For those that do not know yet...(drum roll please)...I will be now staying in India for a full year.  I will helping at the school that whole time.  The only time I will not be at the school is the Christmas holiday, and then I will hopefully going up to Northern India to do some work with some other fellow workers.  I can not wait to have have all my needs provided for by the one above, and I can not wait to serve in His name.

Preparing

Well this will be my first blog on this site...I do not have much to say except that I am truly excited to see what comes in the next few month.  Also to see how doors will open for me, and I will be provided for.

Well on to the update.  For those that do not know I have been accepted to go work at the school for 6 months.  I will most likely be leave late July, early August.  I will be back by like December 20th.  I am so ready to go.  I have been looking for clothing, shoes, and anything else that Google will let me look up.  Well I really think I need to go to bed.  I hope you all have a great night!!!

गुड नाइट और मैं तुमसे प्यार करता हूँ! (Good night and I love you!!! in Hindi)