Flight Problems

Our group of friends who are here to build skateboard ramps left yesterday to go back to the States. But now they are back today, in my home. Two of them made it out because they made their reservations separately, but the others had the misfortune of making their reservations for a month later and none of them realized it until they tried to get in to the airport.

The night started off with a frantic search for one passport. The search continued through the house and on the way to the airport. Finally it was found in a bag. Then came the disappointment of the date of the ticket. So the guys had to find a hotel since they weren't able to call us, or we didn't answer the phone or something. And now they are exhausted and sleeping all over the house.

To change a ticket it costs a lot of money. So that is added stress. Stress on the pocketbook is one of the worst. Sickness is the worst, divorce is second, and money is third.

And today is one of the guy's birthday. Happy Birthday Berkley!

Peer Pressure

I find myself contemplating peer pressure today. You think it is something that teenagers go through, but in reality I find that all ages continue on through it until they are at peace with who they are. Deep thoughts by Leslie.

Yesterday I was at the shopping center that the guys are skateboarding at. They really are cool to watch. And it makes me wish that I could be cool too. There were also some kids who were rip-sticking. I also can't do that. Micah also can't skate or rip-stick. He likes to use his scooter. I asked him if he doesn't want to skate because he is afraid to get hurt. He said that is right. He didn't have his scooter with us so he was just watching the other kids. He said, "It seems like everyone has a rip-stick. I am probably the only foreigner to not have one." I doubt that is true, but I know what he was feeling. He was feeling left out.

I kind of want Micah to take up skateboarding or rip=sticking just so he can have fun with the other kids when they are doing that. But I don't want him to give in to peer pressure just because he is feeling left out. So what can I encourage him to do? I guess he can bring something else to do, like his drawing stuff or something. But the thing is, this is the time of skateboarding and rip-sticking, so if he isn't doing that then he will feel left out.

Today I found myself feeling left out. All the group of people staying at our house went shopping and to the school to skate. I really didn't feel like squishing into our car and spending hours shopping again or watching them skate (even though it is cool to watch them). So I am staying at home. I thought I would be busy at home, but I'm not. So I was feeling left out and sorry for myself. Not that I want to do the things that others are doing, but I want to be included. But because I am so mature now that I am 40, I realize that I don't need to feel left out. Instead I am enjoying what I like to do. Today that is working out, reading a bit, taking a nap, and just being by myself.

Another thing about peer pressure that I was thinking about today is, why is it that we want to be noticed as part of the cool group? Like for instance, the skate dudes. I find myself wanting to be noticed as one of them. Like I want to say the right lingo or look like I know them so that people will think that I am cool. But the truth is, I'm not a cool skater. I don't know the lingo. I probably don't even carry the board correctly. So why do I want to be recognized as one of them? And I have seen it in others. People that aren't really skaters but are hanging out with them are trying to use the right lingo and trying to be included in their coolness. So I may be 40, but I still have a ways to go before I am grown up. At least I notice it. I guess that is the first step in maturity.

What boys and men talk about

So we have a house full of boys and men right now. There are only three of us women. As we sit around the breakfast table, there is a lot of conversation. We start out talking about skating or building ramps and then someone makes a comment about a butt or some other part of the male anatomy and the conversation changes. This happens over and over again. Every single conversation can somehow be changed. They are amazing.

Unpredictable

So we have this group here who are helping Steve build skate ramps. They are super busy. So far I haven't even seen the work they are doing, but today I hope to go. There is so much going on that we never know when they will get back here and if they will want to eat. So yesterday I had our house help lady make dinner for us. She made a big pot of pumpkin curry and I made rice. Enough for 13 people. And then it was just me and one other person who actually ate.

How do you plan for the unplannable?

Water Shortage

We seem to have a water shortage. For the last two nights we have run out of water. Or maybe it is because we have so many people at our house that are flushing the toilet and taking showers.

There are still a bunch of people at our house. They don't take long showers or anything. We have learned to keep a bucket in your shower to rinse off with and to keep the water to use for flushing. We actually need more buckets for all the water that is being collected. So what we do is take a quick rinse off, turn off the water while you soap up, and then rinse it off. All the while you have the bucket at your feet to catch all the wasted water. I have taken a shower with less than a half a bucket of water. Not that I am bragging about that. I'm just saying that I know how to use very little water.

So we bought a 20L jug of water to have some drinking water, but when we dumped it into our water jug it had floaties. Not sure if that was already in our jug or if it was in the new one we bought. We had to use that water for flushing.

The little store down the way is sure making a killing off of all our people. Every day the guys are buying drinks and chips. And I am buying cereal, milk, bread and eggs daily. I bet we make 5 or six trips to the store each day. At least it is close by.

Beans

We have 10 visitors staying with us this week. Yes, 10. And most of them are boys. Boys eat a lot. For breakfast I made oatmeal. Then I put out cereal to in case they were still hungry. One kid ate a bowl of oatmeal and then three bowls of cereal. That is when I realized that I was not thinking big enough. I only bought two boxes of cereal.

Tonight they are all out skateboarding so I imagine they will come back hungry. I'm afraid. Really afraid. What am I going to feed them???? I could order food, but I don't have any money until they come back. And then it will take some time for the food to arrive. And that is, if anything is open. Today is a holiday. So what is my back-up plan? Beans. But I hadn't soaked them. I decided all of this at 4:00, so I started soaking them for two hours. Then I through some Indian spices in the pressure cooker and added some onion and garlic and threw in the beans. Now how long do I cook them? I can only figure it is somewhere between 10 and 20 minutes. The only problem with that is that I don't know what time I started cooking them. So now the whistle has blown maybe 10 times and I am wondering when I should let the pressure out to check on the beans.

Again I am reminded why I don't cook. It is hard work. A lot of anxiety builds up inside me like a pressure cooker. I start sweating. I fret. I worry that it won't taste good (which is very possible). And what if it isn't enough? Where is my dear friend Hiroko to feed me without any pressure? Oh well, it will be an adventure to see what I look like when my pressure steams out like the cooker does. Will I make a lot of noise? Will I steam up the whole room? Or will everything turn out perfect? Tune in tomorrow to find out.

Japan Earthquake

Like many people, I am still drawn to the news stations to read all I can about the earthquake and tsunami. I hope for good news of survival, but there isn't much. Mostly it is bad. It is heart wrenching to watch the people scream in fear as the tsunami is seen in the distance. Now to hear their stories of watching a loved one get washed away. Or to hear them say that they saw bodies in the water. This would be like the worst horror story to watch. And it is real. No movie could make it look any worse than it really is. I wish I could be there to help dig out whatever could be saved. I wish I could do something to help. And every day there is still so many earthquakes and tsunami warnings for them. How can they begin to clean up when they are afraid to go near the ocean.

I am reminded again of my fears of earthquakes and tsunamis. It will be a battle again when I face the ocean, but I know that I can overcome fear with the knowledge that God is with me.

Psalm 46
1 God is our refuge and strength,
a very present help in trouble.
2 Therefore will not we fear,
though the earth be removed,
and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea;
3 though the waters thereof roar and be troubled,
though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof.

Not Ready

I was thinking today about the story of the 10 virgins who were waiting for the bridegroom to come. It really made sense to me in light of my recent not-readiness. Yesterday we didn't have electricity for 3 and a half hours. Our inverter only lasts about 10 minutes. We haven't fixed it for six months. It is suppose to last 8 hours. Then when the electricity is out for 8 hours we can at least have a fan running. But we will only get 10 minutes. We are definitely not ready for summer.

And also yesterday we didn't have cooking gas (still). So without electricity to run the microwave and no cooking gas, I couldn't make chai. We had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch. Thankfully it isn't hot yet, so nothing melted in the freezer. I didn't even think about eating the ice cream. You would think that we would be pro-active about the gas and fill our extra cylinder before we actually needed it. But here we sit, two days later, with two empties.

So as I sat thinking about being ready, I realized I am not ready. What if Jesus came to visit and I couldn't even offer him chai.

Tea Time

I love chai. I love my own the most. I love my house helper's second. And after us I like the guy's on the street in my old neighborhood.

When I use to work at the gym in our old neighborhood, I would often times get tea from the chai-wala outside of the gym. We would bring a tray with our own glasses and he would fill them up with boiling hot tea. I guess we didn't trust that his glasses were clean enough. Several times, when the chai was brought back in to drink, the person would pick up their cup of chai and the bottom would break off and chai would spill all over the place. The glasses weren't made to hold boiling chai I guess. Then the rest of us would pour some of our chai into another glass for the poor soul who had theirs spill.

Today I am hostessing a tea party. I don't really get in to tea parties. To me, the most important thing is to be together. I don't care about what the cups look like or what I wear. I may or may not wear make-up today. My cups will be mix and match. No silly hats to wear. And I will make the tea. The only problem today is that we ran out of gas for our stove. So now I will have to make my chai outside of our home. Maybe on a campfire or at a friend's house. Probably not the campfire since I don't have any wood.

So here is my recipe for chai if you care to try it:

Get a steel pot
put enough water in it for however many people you have, approx. one cup per person.
put a spoonful of tea leaves in for every cup and a half of water
crush a half an inch of ginger
one crushed cardomon pod
a shake of pumpkin spice seasoning
boil it
add a spoon of sugar for every cup and a half of water
when it boils, add milk until it is a nice milky brown color
boil again
strain it into cups
drink and relax

Are You Deaf?

The man who lives in the apartment next to ours is very hard of hearing. He is an older gentleman that doesn't work, so he is home all day. He is often sitting in his living room with his front door open so I can see in. He has a screen shut, but I can still see in. He doesn't seem to be doing much in there. Probably about 15 times a day, someone will come to his door. Sometimes they just walk in, like a neighbor or a servant of some sort. But other times the person knocks. Then he yells, "Who is it?" in Hindi. If they don't know him they don't know to yell. So the person may answer and he can't hear them, so he yells again, "Who is it?" The person will reply louder, but usually not loud enough. This can go on and on for 4 or 5 times. Others who come to the door that know him will already speak loudly. Sometimes he will carry on a loud conversation with the person. Other times I hear him speaking loudly to someone in the house. Usually the parts of the conversation get repeated. I, for the most part, don't understand what is being said. He doesn't speak clearly for me.

I wonder how I will be when Steve is deaf. He is already showing signs of deafness. I often have to repeat myself. I wonder if I will just learn to speak louder or if it will take me repeating myself four or five times.

Apple of My Eye

YOUTUBE
Here is another Benny Hester song that I LOVE.


Whoever Touches You
Words & Music by Benny Hester & John Parenti

You're the one that I have chosen
You are mine and that's forever
I will love you like no other
In My house we'll be together

When you call Me I will hear you
Always know that I am near you
Watching over to protect you
In My arms just remember

chorus:
Whoever touches you
Touches the apple of My eye
Oh My child
Whoever touches you
Touches the apple of My eye
You are My treasure
In Me you can hide
Whoever touches you

If you’re lonely, when you’re threatened
In your trials you’re scared and troubled
When you’re burdened, if you’re running
Call to Me and hear Me answer

(chorus)

God Ran!

I was reminded again this week of a song I have loved for a long time. When God Ran, by Benny Hester.

This week I thought of it from a new perspective. I was imagining a trafficked girl who comes to our aftercare home and her picture of a father. And then teaching her about the perfect father, God. So here are the words to the song.

When God Ran
Written by: Benny Hester & John Parenti
Recorded by: Benny Hester

Almighty God
The Great I Am
Immovable Rock,
Omnipotent powerful

Awesome Lord
Victorious Warrior
Commanding King of Kings
Mighty Conquerer

And the only time
The only time I ever saw Him run

Was when He ran to me
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
Said "My son's come home again"
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"

It caught me by surprise when God ran

The day I left home
I knew I'd broken His heart
I wondered then
If things could ever be the same

Then one night
I remembered His love for me
And down that dusty road
Ahead I could see

It's the only time
The only time I ever saw Him run

When He ran to me
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
Said "My son's come home again"
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said "Son, do you know I still love you?"

It caught me by surprise
It brought me to my knees
When God ran

I saw Him run to me
And then I ran to Him

(Instrumental)

Holy One, Righteous Judge
He turned my way
Now I know He's been waiting
For this day

And then He ran to me
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
Said "My son's come home again"
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
I felt His love for me and then He

Ran to me
Took me in His arms, held my head to His chest
Said "My son's come home again"
Lifted my face, wiped the tears from my eyes
With forgiveness in His voice
He said Son, He said Son, My Son
Do you know I still love you
Oh He ran to me
When God ran


This is about the son who sins against his father, but the girls we work with have been victims of someone else who sinned against them. But the picture is still a wonderful view of God wanting his child to come home.