To kick off my birthday celebrations (yep, that’s plural), we went with a group to the nearby beach for a night. I think the sign speaks for itself. The Party Place has cute, little cottages by the beach and even a “disco” (an empty hall with flashing, colored lights, and local music blasting). They had [...]
As Kyle mentioned in his post of a few days ago, summer is here and it is HOT. We are wimps. The other night we went to a cricket match (a story for another post) and although it started at 8pm we were sweating buckets. There are many ways to beat the heat, the easiest [...]
There are many things that I value about my mom and they increase in number as I get older. At age (almost) thirty I am acutely aware of the ways that God has shown me grace through her, whether by example, nurture, or speaking the truth to me (frequently when I didn’t want to hear [...]
May is blanketing us in a wet heat. Sometimes it’s hard to breath. The collars on my shirts are ruined, and I carry a towel with me even for short walks. Fortunately, our air conditioner is pouring out the arctic air we demand, and fresh fruit juice is plentiful. Of course, we shouldn’t complain – [...]
A few days ago I attempted another local dish: Chenna Masala, which is another good source of non-meat protein. The preparations were similar to the dal fry I tried to cook a few weeks ago – soak for 6 hours, boil, add spices, cook some more. Not terribly complicated (which is just what I look [...]
Last week it was hard for me to restrain myself from revealing specific facts about our work and location. That’s because we have had an amazing week. As if in direct response to previous post on obstacles and frustrations, we saw success on an unbelievable scale. Our office worked with the local government to free [...]
I am finding that this work is rich with opportunities for growth and (surprise, surprise) the growing process is painful. This week has been full of obstacles, most of them out of our control. While my tendency is to question, I’ve been struck by the completely different perspective taken by my boss (call her “A”). For [...]
This is the door to our flat, decorated by our talented flatmate Alex. I love her choice of phrase to celebrate Easter. Restored hope. It’s especially profound in a place where there are so many who are hopeless. We celebrated the most significant event in human history at church this morning, worshiping alongside both South [...]