Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

  First things, first...

An apology to you, my reader

for not updating sooner. 

May the plethora of pictures

satisfy you, until my next AWIP,

or entry.

A few weeks back, my sister Valerie,

made the best decision of her life

and got her little sister (for her birthday)

a 3 Day Pass to Austin City Limits.

The get-away could not have been 

more timely. Plus, I missed my sis.

My roommate, Elizabeth, and myself

hit downtown Fort Worth for a little celebration!

She got the Job at World Relief!

Aren't we cute?

Happy Birthday Susan!!

In-N-Out Burgers, (wild fries for me!),

and a FroYo treat, sent her off into another

year of life. Plus! By request, from Susan,

Andrea and myself prayed for her!

I've begun working with the

Church Mobilization program at World Relief-Fort Worth.

If you didn't know, World Relief's mission statement:

"To empower the local church to serve the most vulnerable"

means lots of face-to-face contact with pastors, leaders, and so on.

I had the opportunity to work the WR table at

Texas Women's University (where boys attend as well),

Volunteer Fair!

Homework... 

can be fun. 

Especially when you're getting treats

and all the answers--from an inexperienced tutor.

Somali group.

What more can I say?

African women, crafts and group discussion...

I think I'm in love.

Africa, we shall meet -- oneday.

My two divas, above, are perhaps the 

only consistency here in Ft. Worth.

They knock at my door, everyday.

With out avail. Rain or shine.

It's a sound, I wouldn't say I look forward to,

but a sound that always requires the Holy Spirit 

to do His work and pour out grace.

I'm very fond of them to say the least.

Girls Night #1 - American Style.

Mad Gab, pot luck, and silly stories.

A visit to the Pumpkin Patch in Arlington, TX

get's me in the Fall mood.

Pumpkins have now overtaken my small apartment.

Girls Night # 2 - Nepali Teen Style.

Cookie decorating, Gospel sharing, chicken nuggets,

crafty frames, and Another Cinderella Story.

Plus a different form of Mad Gab...

the kind we like to call "refugee talk."

***

The past weeks have been fun really fun!

The highlights were perhaps:

- hearing Cold Play at ACL

- praying for Susan in the name of Jesus

- a Nepali dance party (after school)

&

- finding out one my Nepali friends came to know Jesus.

and a side note...

Cyndi Lauper, you were right!

Girls just wanna have fun.

To Bee or Not to Bee

This week, I've been learning a lot about immunizations. Everyone must get 'em. I know I got 'em. They're sometimes painful and otherwise... helpful.

Taking refugees to get immunized can be a daunting task.

I had to pick them up, take them in, get all their paperwork filled out, and assure the kids it would all be alright. At one point, in picking them up, I single handedly lost all my refugees. I drove around the complex, slowly, looking for traces of my refugees. I think we had a miscommunication.

I've stood in long lines, in scorching human body temperatures, and have tried translating many things; of which "sign this" was the only shared understanding. There were many times my hypochondria kicked in, and I was convinced I carried every disease and virus that the clinic was vaccinating. My patience continued to spread thin: with myself, the refugees and the vaccination people. 

But it had to bee done.

And that bee! It's cute and like all the nurses who vaccinated the kids, they smiled that cute little smile with glasses on their nose and a needle in their hand, and gave the kid a shot.  What a deception! It stung it's little stinger, and the kids didn't just cry. No. They SCREAMED. Those poor kids wanted to punch that bee in the face.

Often times, I got really nervous in line. I hate shots. I especially hate needles. I felt for the kiddos. When they cried, I shed a tear. "I'm really sorry, but welcome to America..." I thought. I didn't say that, but I did think it.  

Some of them were troopers. One little girl (pictured above, bottom left), gently moved her little sister aside and sat down. All she did was close her eyes and blink really hard when the needle went in... I wanted to cheer, but felt that kind of behavior completely out of line.

Overall, the experience was genuine. A shot in exchange for a lollipop and a ticket to school enrollment, is not too bad of an exchange. I learned patience, trust, how to fill out immunization papers and that sometimes we've all just gotta BEE.  And BEEing means taking care of people...

Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, 

in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, 

to care for the church of God, which he obtained 

with his own blood.

- Acts 20:28

Glue

I'm the kind of person that likes to

hold it all together.

It's not something I take pride in,

because often it means holding back tears,

or being a leader after I've taken on too much.

But when water gathers behind my eye lids,

and warmth fills my heart

this "glue" sometimes comes undone.

Pride comes undone.

Feelings come undone.

Love comes undone.

* * *

Being 'glue' to refugees

is impossible. 

There are language barriers, misunderstood emotions,

different religions, hard journeys and broken roads (or pasts).

A small feeling of warmth enters my heart,

water wells within my eyes,

and God speaks:

"With man this is impossible, but with God

all things are possible... and everyone who has

left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother

or lands, for my names sake, will receive a hundredfold 

and will inherit eternal life." (Matthew 19:28-29)

So here I am: a melted-gluey-mess.

Spirit, show me where to go, how to speak, how to love.

Whether it's an airport pick-up, a case visit,

an open invitation to hospitality or wearing thin

till midnight... be my strength. 

"Yes, and I will rejoice, for I know that through your prayers and the help of the Spirit of Jesus Christ this will turn out for my deliverance, as it is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be at all ashamed but that with full courage now as always Christ will be honored in my body..."

 (Philippians 1:19-21)

Pray for me dear friends and family.

God's work is never done, and I'm just a small part 

of a beautiful, messy and wondrous plan to bring all

nations near and afar to worship, love and commune 

with a powerful and awesome God.