Missing Momo and Adventures in the Horizon

Today is one of those days that I am really missing the states. Today, Momo Helen would have been 91. I have been missing her a lot lately, but I know that she is watching over me, I also know that she is not any pain. I could imagine that she is in Heaven eating her burnt toast saying it is only a little brown and drinking coffee. I know that she remembers everything and she is catching up with all of her friends and family that have gone before her. I really believe that she is a huge part as to why I do what I do. She was the person who took me to church for the first time, and continued to take me until I moved to New Mexico. She was woman who not only believed in God, but she lived it. She was an example of how to walk the walk and talk the talk. She was a person that you could always count on when someone was at home and couldn’t go to church; she was always up to visit people after church and to pray with them. She really taught me the importance of the power of prayer and how we need to pray continually for our friends and family. By her taking me to church, I was able to learn and grow in my faith at a young age. I remember being at Centrifuge and knowing that God was calling me into missions. I always wanted to go on mission trips when I was younger, but it wasn’t until I was graduating from college that the door finally opened. I remember telling Momo that I was going to Korea to teach, and how excited she was. It was always funny as she got older and couldn’t remember things that she would always remember that I was in Korea and ask when I was coming home. I knew that she always praying for me and that was a comfort to me especially on the hard days. I am very thankful that God allowed me to be back in the states for a few months so that I could spend time with her before she passed away. I will never forget her amazing love for me and other people and my only hope is that I can impact people for Christ like she did. I miss her greatly everyday, but know that one day I will see her again in Heaven and that is something I will always look forward too!

As some of you know, I am going to Bangalore, India September 19^th-October 2^nd. Please pray for this trip. The first 5 days of the trip we are going to be giving vaccinations and teaching Praise and Worship songs and sign language, and I am going to be with several people from Shanghai. After that I am going to be there alone (no other foreigners), it looks like I am going to be running an English camp for the kids at the orphanage at night, working with the local Widows, and the untouchable kids (the people on the lowest level of the cast system in India) in the village. Please pray for safety while we are their, for money for the vaccinations, that God opens doors so that we can share the Gospel with the people in the village, and for our Visas. I will apply for my visa to go to India next Friday, please pray that it comes through, because I am really not sure how to get the Visa. I am trying to get information from the Indian Embassy in Jakarta, but it has been difficult so far, I know that this trip is where I am suppose to be during my Ramadan holiday. The first time I heard about the trip, God just kept saying you are going there, and when I took my current job, the days off for Ramadan where the same. I love God’s perfect timing.

It is Ramadan, which is the holy month for Muslims where they fast from sun-up until dusk; they are not even allowed to drink water. Normally I hear the calls to prayer 5 times a day where I live, but they are even louder during Ramadan. Every time, I hear the prayer calls even at 4:30-5:00am, I try to pray for the Muslims so that they will one day know God. Please pray for them.

I am totally thankful for such a wonderful school. God has truly blessed me, and love the opportunity to teach the word of God to my students and look forward to see what he has in store for term 2. I am currently praying about starting a girls bible study with the 7^th -9^th grade girls, but still looking for possible Bible studies to do with this age group. The girls seem really interested, so I am looking forward to seeing what God will do with this.

As I have said before, I am living outside of Bandung, Indonesia. I am about 30-45 minutes away from the city by Taxi. When I first arrived here their was a taxi that would come up the hill to pick us up, but now they have decided they won’t come up the hill anymore. It is very annoying, so I today I decided to try an Ojack (motorcycle taxi). They are cheaper than regular taxi, but you are riding on the back of a motorcycle in a country where they don’t have traffic laws like the states. The guy took me to the Ankot station (bus station, but they are really small vans), so that I can take a bus to Paris Van Java (the shopping area) so that I could go to Starbucks and do some much needed grading and lesson plans. This was a big thing for me as I am starting to find my independence more. Where I live is very very nice, but it is nice to go to the city for a change of scenery. I am really praying about getting a motorcycle/motor scooter in the next couple of months. They are relatively inexpensive, but I am not sure, since driving here is quite crazy. Many times they make a road marked for two lanes of traffic each way three lanes! I will keep you posted on whether I decide to get a motorbike, but tomorrow I am getting a cell phone, so when I am out I can call a taxi, since they have no trouble bringing me home, they just won’t pick me up! Does that make sense to you? Because it doesn’t to me!!!!

Love and miss you all!!!