s. asia
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he is risen.
The angel spoke to the women, “There is nothing to fear here. I know you’re looking for Jesus, the One they nailed to the cross. He is not here. He was raised, just as he said.” – Matthew 28.5 I woke up this morning with a surge of joy: He is risen! He is risen, indeed. Today is a beautiful day. It is dry, dusty, and hot, hot, hot, and He is risen. My heart aches with the brokenness of this country—the family with preschool-aged children crouching on the sidewalk outside their tent-home, rifling through a restaurant’s trash piles at 11 pm. And He is risen. I feel the weight…
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where religion is politics.
Our family spent Good Friday morning at the botanical gardens. On our arrival we met a festival with food, music, and performances. Religions compete for calender space, and it is not uncommon to see Hindu festivals on Christian holy days. Top state officials flanked the mayor to do puja (worship) together at a Hindu temple atop a rocky hill to celebrate the founding of our city. It was fascinating to watch several rituals – giving offerings, taking sweets, releasing balloons, lighting a torch. I was trying to imagine Congress taking communion together in the U.S. You’ll notice from the grainy i-phone pics below I pushed my way front and center…
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the scooty.
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easter and ice cream cones.
We’ve been talking about ways to teach our kids about Easter. This year we settled on doing something special–something out-of-the-ordinary to catch our attention–each evening this week, then sitting around the table together and learning Bible stories about Jesus’ last week of life, his death, and the resurrection. Monday night David and the kids made homemade ice-cream cones for our “Easter talk.” Yum. Next up: I’m going to try my hand at gluten-free cupcakes!
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april first.
It is the first day of April, and I am sick. You know what? On the first day of March, I was sick. My sinus infections still pop up monthly, more regular than PMS it seems. So here I am, at the start of another month, trying to hold off until the last possible minute to buy the Dreaded Antibiotics. This is a difficult place to be in. At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I have taken antibiotics almost every single one of the seventeen months I’ve lived in South Asia. And, on top of that, I pick up a random GI virus almost as often. You’d…
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the gift that keeps on giving.
Problem: it’s eighty degrees and the kids still insist on wearing the winter pj’s Pat gave them. Solution: make summer pj’s! Our language teacher, Neetu, is also a tailor, and altered these pj’s for us! At first, there were tears of protest from Judah: “But I want to be hot!!!!” But now he loves them!
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this guy.
He’s looking less and less like a baby–or even a toddler–with each passing day. He’s tall and thin and his face is losing it’s chubbiness. He’s growing into a knobby-kneed little boy. And he’s perfect. Naps are few and far between, and I’m fine with that. Whenever he does fall asleep in the afternoon, it’s certain to be a late night. But sometimes, during his quiet hour-and-a-half on my bed, surrounded by piles of toys (each one meticulously chosen), he’ll pass out. I love him so much it hurts. I’m full of wonder at how God is working in his heart. Here there are so many opportunities to share what…
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hand-me-down.
Thank you, Annie!
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tuesday.
Love these three Love learning another language Love this running plan Love friends who give me books Love popsicle weather!
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visa run.
A fellow guest at our hotel this week told a story about a friend of his, an ex-pat living in this country. Even after spending years here, the friend found it impossible to adjust to the 24-7 noise and crowds of this country, so one evening, feeling at the brink of madness, he drove his jeep as far as he could out into the desert, parked it, and climbed on top for a whole night’s sleep all by himself. And there in the desert, with nothing but sand in every direction, he was awoken the next morning by a man pressing his face in close, asking, “What are you doing?”…