Get this show on the road!

It has been a while since I've written on this blog. I have to admit that I lost my momentum for a little while. I was starting to doubt that going to India was what I was supposed to do. I didn't know what I was supposed to do next! I decided what I was doing with my life at the River School was not getting me closer to going to India.

Isn't God amazing in knowing exactly what we need when we need it? I went to a leader's meeting at my church. A man from the Virginia church was attending the meeting that day. Grace Covenant Church is part of a world wide church called Every Nation. My church in DC was started by the Virginia Grace Covenant Church. The man, Pastor Jim Critcher, is a prophet. He hears from God often! How amazing! Paul talks about prophecy in 1 Corinthians 14 if you would like to learn more.

Pastor Jim was walking around the room encouraging, comforting, and confirming events in people's lives. I was thinking, "Oh, I don't need a prophecy. I'm fine. Someone else needs it more than I do." All of a sudden, BOOM, he puts his hands on my shoulders. He told me that I feel like I have had to hurry, hurry, hurry the past few years while I was trying to graduate from Gallaudet University.

Read the full prophecy in my blog entry below.

He said I need to remember that the things in my heart are not dead.

From that day on, my mind has been racing to figure out what steps are ahead. I helped to plan a trip that some of the people in my church went on to South Africa. They helped with an orphanage called Baby Haven who take in homeless children from the suburbs of Johannesburg. I learned some of the behind the scenes steps for sending a group of people short term to a foreign country.

The next step is right around the corner! There is more to come on that step soon, as soon as I find out. Macau, China and Manila, Philippines may be in the future for my summer.

Isn't God amazing? :)

What am I doing??

Well, it's been quite a while since I've written anything! I'm very sorry about that. I have been trying to keep myself growing the past few months. My finances are starting to become under control. I have permanently pocketed the credit card and am purely living off of my income! What a crazy way to live! :) It's really awesome. I am hoping to become a better steward of the money I've been given and I am actually saving up for things now so I am prepared for future expenses. Isn't God great?

Valentine's Day right? Usually that is a day when single people like myself are not too happy or thinking about how long they have been single. Well, this year was not like that at all! How amazing? I've been working through the book Boy Meets Girl by Joshua Harris with my small group. It's really brought me to have a better understanding of how to date in a healthy way. At the same time, I have been growing more confident in who I am and depending on God instead of people for my affirmation and love. Last year at this time, I was very codependent and that was not a good way to be. I told myself I had to hang out with other people or else I wasn't loved. If people didn't invite me to places or to do things, they didn't like me or want to be around me because I was a bad person. Those were all lies. It took a pretty dramatic event to bring me to change how I was acting. I finally got it though. I am trying to be continually aware of things around me that take my focus off of God in the center of my life. It happens pretty easily it seems.

I just read this book called Going to School in India by Lisa Heydlauff. The book is about various schools around India and the children that go to them. It really is an eye opening book. These kids, they just break my heart. It makes me realize that what I'll be faced with in India is much larger than I can even conceive right now.

I have been really focusing on what I am supposed to be doing right now. I feel like I should just go!!! I am sick of just sitting around here in DC waiting. I was thinking and praying this morning. What if I just left and went to India next year to work at my church's sister church in Mumbai? It's always an option. I don't think it would be the wise thing to do though. I know I have a lot to learn and a lot of areas to grow in before I am ready to face what is there. God has all the time in the world. There are stories of people always waiting for years and years! Why do years seem like such a long time? I guess God likes to develop patience and faith over time. I can do that. I'll wait and grow.

I've recently taken over the small group I have been attending for a little over a year. I am co-leading it with a wonderful person. I am definitely learning a lot with this step in my life. The only downfall of this move is that I now don't have any one discipling me. The leader of the group is moving to the Democratic Republic of the Congo soon. How amazing is that? I'll be praying for someone as knowledgeable and wonderful as her to continue to push me on my journey. This small group is quite amazing though. I am learning how to care for and interact with women in a whole new way. Who would have thought someone super shy would be put in this situation?

Get Those Finances in Control!!

Well! I officially work with 3rd graders, so fun! I like it way better than I thought I would. The kids are sassy and fresh and keep me on my toes. When I overslept on Friday, I walked in just as the kids were coming and one girl said, "Ms. Overton, did you just get here? You are late!" I said, "No, I'm right on time. Just in time for you to get here." Is that lying to a 9 year old? Also, it is the first time I've been late! It doesn't happen often. :)

Since school has started up again, 4 weeks ago, I haven't been able to learn about India as much as I was this summer. That has bummed me out a little bit and I've been trying to figure out what to do about that. Well, recently, I have become obsessed with getting my finances in order and getting out of debt. It just so happens that there is a woman in my church who manages the budgets of billion dollar corporations who wants to help people just like me! Wow! So great! I e-mailed her and begged for her to help me. We talked a little while last night and now it's the hard part: I actually have to do stuff to get myself ready and in control of my finances so that God can work through me to help me get out of debt. hmm......

What does that mean? Well, possibly not buying Christmas presents this year, not buying new clothing for a while, not going to movies and out to eat, not buying coffee at Star Bucks... etc. It's going to be hard, real hard, especially since I am surrounded by rich children and parents all day long. It's hard to live a humble live style honestly. I have to do it though!! My debt situation is getting out of control. I have to start saving for the school in India. I know this is my time to get my life in order so that it can happen.

That is all for now. No other updates on India! I am learning a lot about being a teacher and excited about what is to come. Who knew I'd be a teacher?? Not me! I still love my job though and look forward to every day I am here!

God's Wake-Up Call

Last weekend, I went to The Call here in DC. It is a huge all day praise and worship get together on the National Mall by thousands of people. It was started by Lou Giglio from the International House of Prayer in Kansas City. Anyway, main point- they said at one point to pray that "God would shake the slumber from you in the mornings." I thought, hmm.. I can pray that prayer too! I did for a couple of days in a row, because I do want to wake up in the morning and pray, but it is sooo hard! Well! God answers prayers. He is now giving me a wake up call at 3:30, 4, 5, 5:30 am on any given day since last Monday. I have been having such an amazing time too and I feel so special that God would do that, know what I mean?? It's like, the creator of the universe is taking the time to wake me up in the morning so He can spend time with me!!! It blows me away.

I gotta tell you, I am getting nervous about this upcoming election. Do you really know the crucial information about the candidate you are voting for??? I have been praying for the nation and the candidates every day. I think this is going to be such a pivotal election for this nation.

My India goals came close to being met as the summer comes to an end (can you tell I've been watching the closing ceremony of the Olympics?). I did not make an Indian friend or watch Bollywood movies. However, a friend of mine and I are planning a party with Indian food and movies that will complete that portion of the goal.

I decided to learn a Hindi Devanagari symbol each week by writing it often and learning the sound. Now that school started, my time is going to be limited to how much I can dedicate to learning the language. Who knows though? Since I am waking up so early, I have a lot of time in the mornings! God is hilarious.

Please pray for my upcoming school year at the River School. I am going to be in the third grade class now with an amazing co-teacher who really knows what is going on. I am being very challenged right now with the amazing amount of knowledge I have to learn in a short amount of time. God doesn't give us more than we can handle though, so I know it will be ok. Thank you!

Overtaking, Passing, and Desire

I will definitely miss Iowa. There is just so much SKY!!! Everywhere you look, sky! I can't get over it. I had a fantastic time seeing my family and friends. It is really a wonderful place. I woke up pretty sad this morning realizing that I was back in DC and wouldn't get to hang out with my family all day like I had gotten used to the past two weeks.


My drive to DC was fun? No, not really, but I did learn some things. God painted a wonderful sunrise for me to start my trip. I really do love looking at the sky. I forgot to even look at how many stars you can see until the last day I was there!! UGH! I left at 5am and arrived in DC (with an hour time difference) at midnight. Talk about a long day. I had a wonderful stop in Chicago to visit with my cousin and then Indiana and Ohio were next. They are rough states! Those cops were seriously everywhere.

Imagine this, you're driving along listening to a book on your ipod learning about the desire in your heart and how God put it there for a reason. You're thinking about what your desires are and what you are doing in your life that really make you passionate and driven. You are wondering where you have been hurt the most in life and if that is your true passion/gift that God has given you.... then all of a sudden, a cop is pulling 5 people over behind you in order to get to you....

Give me a break Indiana!! They had a silly rule about merging when a two lane goes to one lane. People merged 1/2 mile before the actual lane ended and I got pulled over because I was driving in that lane and merging where the lane ended!!! Are you serious?? The cop said I was passing and overtaking a vehicle. I was so confused. He was gufaffing at me though that I wouldn't know that law. He thought I was putting on an act to be completely clueless about what I had obviously just done. Well, apparently it was a $165 lesson for me to learn and I will now drive with more caution in Indiana since they apparently have some laws the rest of the nation do not have.

It's time to crack down here in DC though. Orientation and my life as a 3rd grade teacher/speech pathologist start on Tuesday. What did I get myself in to? Who would have ever thought I'd be a 3rd grade teacher? I don't know anything about kids that old. I don't want my life to be consumed with work this year though. I need to start setting times aside to do more things that I enjoy instead of worshiping work and feeling the need to find purpose in working every second of the day.

I need to do fun things like going to the Iowa State Fair and seeing a giant statue of Shawn Johnson carved out of butter. It's the little things that make Iowa such a great place to live.

Indian Dinner Goal- Check!

The Menu:
Beef Rice Casserole
Naan Bread
Coffee Drop Cookies
Almond Honey Milk

The Review:

The Beef Rice Casserole was deeeeelicious!! I forgot to put the cheese on in the end, but it was still very yummy. I don't think it was officially authentic since cows are sacred in India. I did get it from an authentic Indian recipe website. I had to make something beef because my mom doesn't like very many kinds of meat. :)

The Naan bread- wowie! That was soooo filling! It didn't have yeast in it and it was really hard on the outside, but soft on the inside. I don't think I would eat it by itself, but it was good to dip into the beef casserole.

The Coffee Drop Cookies actually had coffee in them! Yum!

The cookies were so good dipped into the Almond Honey Milk. About 1/3 of it boiled over all of a sudden when I was making it though... ops.

Overall! I spent about 4 to 5 hours cooking. I don't know how people in India cook so long so often. Maybe that is an American culture thing that I have taken on in my life style. I mean, cooking could be really fun and a time for women to talk. I just need more people to cook with me. I'll make it an event! It has to go faster with more people, right? I am definitely going to cook Indian food more often because it was really good and not that hard.

Iowa

I've been in Iowa for a week today. I have been blessed with the pleasure to see two couples become one in marriage and to wish a friend well at a wedding shower! It has been wonderful to see some amazing people find their God given helper for life. I feel like I am ready to get married, but I am working towards understanding that God will give me a husband when I am ready and if I am supposed to be married.

My India goals for the summer have not been so amazing since I've gotten home. The fasting, check. Learning one new thing about India each day, no check. A friend told me about an amazing thing. On Google, there is Google Alerts and they send you a list each day of anything in the news about a subject you want to know about. I get something about India each day, so I am trying to keep up on those. I am planning to cook an Indian meal on Friday and then watch a Bollywood movie afterwards. I haven't made an India friend yet.

The update for the week is that I contacted two people I met three years ago in LA. They are Chris Hale and Peter Hicks. Both of them came from missionary families and grew up in India. After a few years, they started writing worship music in the Indian music style! Pretty awesome! Their website is http://www.aradhnamusic.com/ I decided to contact them again and ask them for any help or as a contact for questions. They said they remembered me and would love to be a contact! They also gave me a couple of names of people who may know more about deaf people in India!! So great! God is definitely still working and I need to keep pursuing this goal. It is very easy to become distracted at home.

I almost blew away in a storm when I was camping with my brother's on Monday! There was such a strong wind and so much lightning/thunder that the camp site 15 feet from us was crushed by a tree that broke from the top! We had to hold on to the tent from the inside to keep it down after all the steaks blew out. Bad news. Kung Fu Panda came along too, but didn't catch any fish. :( Maybe some trip we will finally catch something and cook it for dinner. Until then, we'll be eating back-up hot dogs.