Five years later

Five years ago tonight, I became a child of God. I realized the date this afternoon: November 6. I spent a little time pondering what the Lord has done in my life over the past five years and how good it has been. Walking with Him is such a privilege.

Since I have been journalling for years, reading through my old journal entries is a good way to see how I have changed. My favorite entries are the ones since I became a believer. The transformation was almost immediate, perhaps not outwardly, but in how I thought. Before November 6, 2004, my entried centered on me: myself, my problems, how I wanted this or to do that. Within days, they were different. They were about God, how I wanted my life to center around Him, how I wanted to please Him. I wrote about others, about ideas, and about my walk with the Lord. I didn't pay any attention to this change for a couple of years, but now I see it clearly.

The phrase "born again" has become a trite expression, a worn-out, almost derogatory term. Let's redeem it! Being born again is great. I love it! Imagine having a whole new soul, a new way of seeing and thinking, a whole new way of living. It's a fresh start. All your sins are erased, all the ones you've committed in the past, and even the ones that you'll commit in the future. Your whole nature is transformed. You have peace and bubbly joy and a sort of light feeling.

And the thing that is so hard to believe (let alone comprehend), is that it has nothing to do with what we do. God doesn't forgive me (or you) when you do something that pleases Him. He forgives you completely when you ask Jesus Christ to make you a new person, and when you turn from your sinful ways and ask for Him to take over your life and forgive all your sins. Nothing you do adds to it. He does everything. It's all grace. (That's why it's called "amazing.") And He loves you! How He loves you!

I could go on and on and on about how good the Lord has been to me. How He has transformed me and is transforming me. How He can totally change my heart and attitudes in minutes, no matter how rebellious I'm feeling. How He provides everything I need, whether it's Vitamin C for only Rs 8, a perfectly-timed GST rebate cheque, a cheap French grammar book, or some half-price vegetables. He has blessed me with wonderful brothers and sisters in Christ, a home church that is now family whom I love dearly, and the opportunities to serve Him in India--twice. He never fails to do what's good for me, to show me how much He loves me, and to give me joy: not in my circumstances or in who I am, but in who He is and what He has done. He's amazing. What else can I say?

So, Abba Father, thank you for everything you have done in my life, and especially in the last five years of walking with you (even though I dragged my feet sometimes). Everything I have ever needed You have provided. You are way more than enough for me. And You are so faithful. Even when I am so often unfaithful, You are always faithful. Your steadfast love NEVER ceases--it is new every single morning. I love you so much. Thank you for everything you have done for me. I want to love you so much more, and be like Your Son, my Saviour. Let me see more of Your beauty and glory. Make me bold and loving and passionate about You. Impress the Cross more deeply on my heart. Make me understand more of Jesus' sacrifice for me. How I long to proclaim it! Lord God, I promised to follow You all of my days, and I am so eager to see where You will take me in the coming days and years. Make me glorify Your name, for you are truly an awesome God.

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases--His mercies never come to an end! They are new every morning--literally every morning...Great is Thy faithfulness (Lam. 3:22-23).

That is quickly becoming the story of my life. Let it be the story of yours.

Kiva

I went to hear Jessica Jackley, the co-founder of Kiva, speak tonight. It was very interesting. She talked about how Kiva got started and what sorts of things we (students) could do to make an impact on the world. Specifically, they are: have a mission (surprise, surprise!), be open (to other people taking control of their part of the work), iterate (build up by repeating small things), and focus on individuals (people and their stories). She talked a lot about stories. That was cool, since I really like people and their stories a lot too. She also said, "Opportunities come and go, and you have to say yes or no depending on who you are."

Anyway, I was going to say something about poverty. It was related to this, but now I forget what it was. I'm tired, and I should go to bed. My hallmate just looked in my open door, and said, "You're still awake?" (I'm known for going to bed early.) So I'll go to bed now, and someday soon I will tell you what I've been thinking about poverty.

You could read these two articles to get started: "I Have Not Always Obeyed This Command," and its part two.

Sunday rest

When I arrived at university, I realized very quickly that I run on a completely different schedule than almost everyone else. Actually, I've never met anyone who runs on the schedule I do. The typical student stays up late at night: past midnight is common. "I've started going to bed early!" exulted one friend of mine, "Around midnight or 1am!" Then they get up around 8 or 9am (6am if they're nuts like my friend), some later than 10am, depending on what time their first class is. Most students party on Friday nights, sleep in on Saturdays, spend Saturday relaxing and hanging out, and then talk about working on Sunday, and actually start in the late afternoon or evening.

Opposite this, I go to bed early, get up early (well, usually), work late on Fridays (unless there's a concert) and spend almost all day on Saturday studying or doing food prep or grocery shopping. On Saturday evenings I am free, and I never do schoolwork or shopping on Sundays. Ever, period. I once tried doing some schoolwork on a Sunday night, but it wrecked the whole Sunday spirit.

Why? Why do I live so counterculturally, on a schedule that goes against the norm? The primary reason is because I choose to observe Sabbath. I am well aware that the Scriptural norm was a Saturday Sabbath. Since this post is not about what day to rest on, I will not debate the particulars. However, I will say that I believe it is important for Christians to take a full 24h of rest each week. Sunday is typical in the West, and even though I would probably observe Saturdays if it fit better, I have decided to rest on Sundays. Here in the Maritimes, where the law against shops being open on Sundays was only repealed a few years ago, most stores are still closed on Sundays, especially in small towns like the one I'm living in now. Sunday still retains a trace of specialness in most places in Canada, so I capitalize on it. It's the day most Christians go to church, a good day to go for walks, read good books, listen to excellent music, not cook (there's something leftovers and meal hall are good for!), plan the coming week, and write letters home.

One of my friends is a med student, and she also takes a day of rest each week. It seems impossible to take time off in school, but God really honours those who seek to obey Him. Somehow I have always managed to get everything done, despite spending a whole day each week consciously not working. It's grace, I guess. That's the only explanation I have. (Well, there is certainly less work than I thought there would be, but that's another post.) I think that perhaps the people who say that they "can't" take a day off either waste a lot of time during the week or perhaps have taken on too much. Yes, we should work with all our might and serve as unto the Lord, but that isn't the same as working yourself sick. The most important work was done for us 2000 years ago on the cross.

Another reason to take a day off is to preserve your sanity. Really. In a rushing, busy, nonstop world like ours, a day to be separate from the world will keep you sane and rested. Shut off your mobile, don't turn on the computer, don't watch TV, only spend the day doing activities that keep the Sunday spirit...you have to evaluate what keeps the Sunday spirit for you.

Personally, I do not do schoolwork or shopping, as I mentioned above. For the most part, I avoid anything to do with money. Normally I don't use the computer (though this isn't strict, as you can tell, since it's a Sunday afternoon and I'm blogging) or cook much. And I've discovered that I have to be choosy about my Sunday social events. If I don't, I come home at the end of the day and realize that I spent no time reflecting on God's mercy in my life, and that the day wasn't set apart for Him, like the Lord's day should be. I don't start my week rested and refreshed. I go for a long walk, read a good book that sets my mind on the cross, eat a special treat, go to church, and occasionally meet with a friend. Sometimes I do some planning, but I prohibit this if it makes me feel too anxious!

So I challenge you to choose to take a Sabbath each week. Choose activities that will be restful and "set your minds on the things that are above" (Col. 3:2). No, it probably will not fit nicely with how everyone else lives. But is that really what you're after?

And there was great excitement

I was starting to write this post this evening, and I didn't have anything to say. I had a few topics to blog about, but the words just weren't flowing, you know? Anyway, then there was a large crashing sound, an ensuing commotion, and Great Excitement in Residence. (You will get an interesting story this week instead of a pensive reflection. Sorry about that.)

There was a Flood of Epic Proportions. You see, the urinal pipe broke, so a high pressure geyser of water (mostly clean, thankfully) came exploding out of the vents in the bathroom door and flooded the hall, rooms, kitchen, and everything else. I moved all my things off the floor onto my bed, rolled up my pants, stripped off my socks and got my chuppals on, and joined the group frantically trying to prevent too much water from entering the rooms. We used towels, but they quickly soaked through. Then some of the guys took the fire hose from it's box and pressed that agains the pipe, and we took the hose out the front door. That reduced the flooding. The rest of us (including some people from the residence across the quad) used shovels, mops, a wet-vac and brooms to try to movethe water out the door. After some time, the plumber came and turned the water off. (No one else knew how.)

The Great Effort continued. News came that the other residence had a flood out of a urinal too--only on the second floor. Our basement was flooded by this time, so later, when we finally had most of the first floor cleaned (about two hours after the explosion), some people went downstairs and started there. Some custodial staff are still here cleaning the kitchens, and our neighbors' flood wasn't very serious. So I think we've recovered. Now back to the papers we need to write...Actually, it is ironic that several of us are in this particular class. Last class, the prof said, "Make sure you write something so that when something happens on Sunday night you at least have something." (He's very strict about handing things in on time.) I had the paper drafted last week, but several of my unfortunate house/classmates hadn't yet started at the time of the Great Flood. I feel for them, that's for sure.

And besides that, on Friday night some drunk guys came in and smashed the window on of the hall doors. (I was dozing off and heard it through my earplugs.) They vandalized some other things as well, threw my whiteboard on the floor (damaging it), and generally caused harm. And no one saw them do it so we don't know who they are, who let them in, nor have we caught them.

So it was an exciting weekend. And now, I am going to bed.

**Incredibly, just as I published this post, the fire alarm went off. I kid you not. So our res and our pair across the quad tramped outside and waited for the fire department to come and check out the buildings. They're fine, but the fire system is paranoid since everything is wet, so it will--arg, there it goes again...

What's the Gospel?

There's a great article here that clearly explains what the Gospel is. Enjoy!

Change of direction

As you may have noticed, I've revised this blog's header and the "About Me" widget. I have decided to keep blogging (I like writing, and it appears that a few crazy people actuallly like reading what I have to say). However, the blog will take a new direction. Instead of "ramblings, rantings, random remarks and recipes from a young Christian woman who thinks a lot," it will now share my reflections on life as a university student, and my observations on Western society as I see it now after spending five months in India. Since I'm a Christian, I will tell you what I see through the new eyes I've been given in Christ. I'll still talk about cooking, of course, but that won't be the primary focus. I guess you can say I've seesawed heavily in the direction of ramblings and rantings!

It is my hope that you will be able to see the West, and the Christian West, in a different light. I'm no sociology expert, but I have done things that many Westerners will probably never do or see, and I hope to help you see them too, in some small way. I'm not a Bible scholar either, but I am a student of the Word, and I hope that through my writings you will see the Truth in the Bible and the beauty of the One it directs us to.

I plan to post once a week, and it will probably be near the end of the week (or at the very beginning). Be patient with me--I have midterms and such now, you know!

Let me know how you like the new format, or if there's something you suggest I should change.

Life in a small university town

I am now a full-time undergraduate student at "one of Canada's most prestigious universities" (so goes the saying). The university is in a small town in the Maritimes. I live in residence. And I'm not sure don't really like it all that much. I know--weird. Let me explain myself.

First of all, as I spilled in the last lengthy post, I actually should be in nursing. Unlike most of my fellow students--many of whom are a few years younger and have less life experience (not that I have a great deal, all things considered),--I know exactly what I want to do with my life, and what I need to be doing to get there. So being here feels counterproductive...like I'm wasting my time, not to mention thousands of dollars. I met one of my (new) friends for supper last week, and we were talking about where the Lord is leading us in our lives, and I told her how my calling was to nursing. (I've tried to convince myself I should be a doctor, and it doesn't work, no matter how hard I try. Please don't attempt it yourself!) "So..." she said, "Uh...what are you doing here?" Well...

This weekend I went to a retreat with the Christian fellowship on campus (I still can't believe expressions like "on campus" and "I have a midterm next week" come out of my mouth). At one point I was chatting with a fourth-year student from my own university. She came here from a tiny town in PEI. We were comparing our experiences in this town. For her, coming to this university town from her own was very different. There were lots of people her age, people around all the time, and she met lots and lots of new people. For me, this is small and homogeneous...a bubble, in my friend's words. (We both still marvel at how we can just walk to the grocery store, though.) The town is charming. The colours of the leaves and the surrounding farmland is beautiful. This town has interesting cultural activities going on constantly. People know each other, and you might see your profs around town. Storekeepers ask you if you're a student (though the answer is pretty much a given) and often give you a discount.

I have wanted to live in the country for as long as I can remember. My brother and I have nagged my parents for years to move out to the country (right, Mom?). I have dreamed of having "chickens and goats and a giant garden and an energy-efficient house". Now, living in a semirural setting, I find myself wanting to be back in the city (my own city would be nice). I miss the diversity. Sure, our student body is diverse--young people from all across Canada, of all different backgrounds and colours, lots of international students (two of my five neighbours are internationals), and a lot of Asians here for a semester or two to learn English. But relative to real life, the people here are pretty, well, monotonous. We're mostly one age and we all do the same thing. I miss the mixture of people I met everyday in the city: seniors, punks, little kids, tired moms, homeless men asking for money, my Philipino and immigrant colleagues at work, the Somali Muslim women who took my bus to their ESL classes, the students at a downtown college and the university, the prim businesswomen with their high heels and Starbucks.

One thing I've learned over the past two years (since I officially received my conveyor-belt completion stamp), is that I love people. Each of us prefers to work with people, things, or ideas. I find things dull and ideas too airy-fairy. People, on the other hand, are "the cat's meow," as my dad would say. People are interesting. They're living and breathing and alive, and they have stories and dreams and interests, and they need God, and when you love them, their rough edges smooth over a little. So naturally, I prefer to be with different kinds of people. And here...you just don't get that. I often find myself sitting in class listening to a lecture and wishing I was back in a big, busy, dirty city with real life and real people and out of The Bubble. Presently, my political science class is studying Aboriginals in Canada, and every time I go to class, I wish I lived somewhere where there were more poor and marginalized people (not that all Aboriginals are marginalized, but the truth is that most of them have a quality of life that is far below reasonable). At home, I live close to a school for pregnant teens, and a lot of young Aboriginal women attend there. And if you go downtown, you'll probably be asked for money by an alcoholic or drug addict who is most likely Aboriginal.

I miss the slum people in India too, but that's another post.

As for residence life...it is unnatural, too. A bunch of young people crammed together in small bedrooms doing the same thing...it's really strange. Too homogeneous. Where are the seniors? Where are the moms and dads and little kids? Where are the boys and girls in the middle of growing up? The immigrants? The poor? The filthy rich? And most res-dwellers eat in meal hall, which is another building altogether, and no one has to do the chores of real life. Many students don't know much in the way of basic life skills (like how to sort laundry or which setting to choose), and the alcohol- and immorality centered parties that happen every weekend in residence, well, that's highly unadmirable.

In short, the small-town charm doesn't outweigh the lack of diversity, and I find it wanting.

So that's life in a small university town. I must go and meet my friend for supper in the aforesaid meal hall.

Thoughts in a tizzy

Please note! This entry is more a dumping of my thoughts than a post proper. My journal is in my room on the other side of campus, but the library was nearby, and thus I felt inclined to dump my stream of epiphanies and conversations here. I should actually be doing other assignments, but there is way too much flying around in my thoughts to concentrate on anything else. Also, I haven't proofread it because I want to go to office hours before they're over. This is not my journal, so I'll try not to put up posts like this too often.

I went to an amazing political science lecture today. It had nothing to do with "The Foundations of Political Science" as it was more an anthropology lecture than anything else. It was about how traditional peoples see the world versus how the West does. After so much time in India, I could SO understand it! I don't know if any of the other students found themselves totally absorbed in it, but I sure did.

When you've seen what the prof is talking about in real life, it makes so much more sense. For instance, he was talking about how traditional societies place so much more value on the group than on the individual. So true! It is only in the West that we value individuality above conformity to the group. And only in the West do we have individual property rights. If you worked to earn your paycheque, it's yours, right? Well, for people in traditional societies, it belongs to the group. Or your shampoo. If you bought it, wouldn't you be annoyed if someone used it without asking you? It would be disrespectful, right? I can't tell you how many times this happened to me in India. The Indian girls would use my stuff without asking (or look in my things without asking), and I would get so mad. But for them, I am being selfish. To them, everything belongs to everyone. You don't have to ask to use someone else's body powder. (They looked at me funny when I asked if I could use their mirror). You just use it. Sharing is perfectly acceptable, and if someone else uses it up, but you paid, so what? You can use up theirs!

And he was also talking about how traditional peoples are connected to the land--a particular place and people that has a lot of meaning for them--and I thought back to India. I know I've said that I want to visit other places too, like Europe and Israel and the Middle East, but that's all I want to do: visit. I have come to realize that India is a part of me now--as much as Christ and my family (both biological and spiritual) and piano are. I am connected to that land, too. Yes, I am very much a Canadian with Canadian attitudes and beliefs, but somehow I feel like Indians are my people too. I am quite happy among simple slum people and villagers. I will never be one of them, but I am content to live among them, and when I am away from them, I miss them.

Then I went to philosophy (Plato's Republic), and the prof was reviewing the arguments in Book II, where there is a discussion of justice and injustice (more in terms of good and evil) and whether one profits more than the other. One dude that Socrates is arguing says that you can do injustice as long as you appear just. A class discussion ensued about whether, if someone had a ring that enabled them to get away with anything scot-free, they would use it. And everyone in the class said of course they would.

But I wouldn't. I didn't say that out loud, though. But the discussion was a vivid illustration to me of how evil people are intrinsically. They naturally want to do things that are wrong and get away with it for their own benefit. I didn't want to send the class into a discussion of "religion," but it that is exactly the reason that I would not do evil just because I could get away with it. I have been transformed because I am a Christian. That's all there is to it. You could give me a ring that would allow me to get away with murder (literally!) but I have no desire whatsoever to use it. I have no desire for fame, to be known, to look impressive, to gain worldly gains, or to make a name for myself. I am content to please my Heavenly Father, and that's the end of the story.

The prof went on to talk about how we esteem people who do evil--like Hollywood celebrities and so on. I asked him why, then, did he think people respect and admire people like Mother Teresa so much. "I think Socrates would ask you what you mean by 'respect and admire,'" he responded. People pay lip service to her goodness, he said, but are they willing to wear what she wore, live with lepers, eat what she ate, or be poor, without getting six college credits or putting it on their CV so they could get a job with the "indoctrination department" in a multinational? Seriously, my classmates talk about justice and making a difference for the poor and crap like that, but they are unwilling to give up their four-dollar coffees and they complain about working hard. And they go and party and drink on weekends just because they can, some of them go broke because they buy so much alcohol! (Not many of them, but a few.)

You have to be born again, to use the classic evangelical term, to be willing to do "foolish" things for no worldly reward.

So where does this leave me? It means I am going to leave this university to do the work I am actually called to do in the shortest amount of time possible (both leaving and doing the training for the other work). It means that I am not going to get involved with a whole bunch of extracurriculars to look impressive (if you've ever read Cal Newport you'll know what I'm getting at--and a post about that is forthcoming). As a matter of fact, I am not going to get involved in something if it will make my name known. There: I've said it. I choose not to look impressive in a worldly way, and I won't do something that makes me look it. Yes, I do live with an accent, and I need to learn how to live with more of one.

I could go on more, but I think this is quite enough for now, and at least the main points are off my back.

Food

As you know, I now live in residence at university. However, I have a meal plan that allows me to do nearly all my own cooking (and I'm next door to the best kitchen in res!). I usually eat at meal hall two or three times a week, depending on my schedule and tiredness. When I go, I eat nicely. I mean, I'm paying $11.04 a meal, so I might as well juice it for all it's worth. Right?

My university has an outstanding meal hall. Pretty much anything you want you can get there, and there are about eight different areas serving different kinds of food. The food quality is good, as far as "cafeterias" go. They have custom-made omelettes, a pasta bar, pizza every day, a vegetarian bar, way too many desserts, hot drinks including cappucino, a soup/sandwich bar (custom-made sandwiches), breakfast food available all the time, cooked-before-your-eyes waffles, a salad bar...who knows what else. There's even ice cream available every day, for goodness' sakes.

I go to meal hall and watch people taking food. It astounds me just how much we consume. Some of the guys will take two--or three--plates of food. Most people take desserts. And even with the university's effort to reduce the amount people take (not giving trays, and using small plates, for example), people still eat incredible amounts. And the variety of food that's available. It blows my mind!

I guess I'm sensitive about food. I spent five months in India, where I ate rice and plain dhal twice a day every day. A few times we had fried rice for breakfast, too. If we had enough money, we had chicken once a week. And one egg each for lunch on Tuesdays. There were no fresh vegetables or fruits unless you bought them yourself, and when we had them with rice they were overcooked to a mush. We didn't have any sort of dairy product. Breakfast in some places was a meagre affair: Parle-G white flour/sugar biscuits. (The website claims are totally false, by the way.)

So when I see my fellow students gorging on rich foods, I feel uncomfortable. Sure, I eat nicely when I go to meal hall--which isn't very often. I couldn't imagine eating like that two or three times a day. It's so...extravagant.

I have seen children and adults, normally black- or brown-haired, who are redheads from malnutrition. I have eaten sabji (cooked veggies) and rice because there wasn't money for anything else. I know what it means to give thanks for your food knowing you might not get your next meal.

To see people gorging themselves without much second thought...my conscience pricks. Stabs, rather.

I eat well, compared to the other students who cook, of whom there aren't many. But it's simple food: dhal and rice, soup, muffins and smoothies, upma, eggs, raw vegetables. I don't keep prepared food or sweets (except honey) around, which prevents snacking, overconsumption, and eating poorly. I eat meat maybe once or twice a week. I choose to eat simply. It's nice to have a nice meal (and someone else's cooking!) every so often, but once a week is plenty.

If my fellow students spent time overseas with the poor, would they realize what opulence they live in? Would it affect how they eat?

DG National Conference

"The Kingdom of God works like leaven; it doesn't arrive like the 82nd Airborne!"
-Marvin Olasky


"The Bible doesn't take tests, it gives the tests. It does not adhere to the standard, it sets the standard."
-Douglas Wilson


"It's okay to speak with an accent because it shows that we're of a different country."
-Julius Kim


"Our perfect Heavenly Father always responds to the prayers of His children in a gloriously merciful way."
-Mark Talbot


The hope of the resurrection [and heaven] moderates grief.
-Sam Storms

Not like the rest of them

It is easy to get caught up in the cares of the world, to get absorbed in our own little sphere of the world. We are easily sidetracked and distracted, and quick to neglect what matters, what is eternal, what is righteous and beautiful and true. And it is easy to make the center of our world something other than what it should be.

I'm at the Desiring God National Conference in Minneapolis this weekend. As usual, it is great. I came last year for the first time, and I was so blessed and edified and challenged that I decided to come this year (that was last September). I wasn't so convinced by the topic this year, though, and this past week has been very busy with university (more on that later), and I was so tired that travelling halfway across the continent for two days wasn't on the top of my list of things I wanted to do. But as usual, the conference is so worth attending! You can watch all of it online, but if you can attend in person, it is so much the better. This year's theme is "With Calvin in the Theater of God," in honour of John Calvin's 500th birthday. The speakers have talked about such subjects as suffering, heaven, and the Christian in the "secular" world.

The first session this morning was given by Doug Wilson, entitled, "The Sacred Script in the Theater of God - Calvin, the Bible, and the Western World." For me anyway, it was a little like being shaken by the scruff of the neck. Listen: "The Bible doesn't take tests, it gives the tests. It does not adhere to the standard, it sets the standard." The Bible evaluates us, we don't evaluate it. I drew a little diagram in my notes, kind of like the ones of the solar system. In one, reason is the center and the Bible orbits it. In the other, the Bible is the center and reason orbits the Word. (Wilson's imagery, not mine.) That's the way life is supposed to be. Whether you like it or not, whether you deem it proper or not, that's the order God planned. His perfect, flawless Word at the center of all life, including our lives. Whether you think it's politically incorrect, intolerant, or stupid, the universe is God's creation, and His Word is supreme over it. It is the final and only authority. (And it is historically accurate and reliable.) The world doesn't acknowledge that because the world thinks that it can run itself. Christians are not of the world.

Julius Kim said that it's okay for us to speak with an accent because we're of a different country. Do I live with an accent?

Do you live with an accent?

To the other side of the world and back

Hello! I live.

Approximately 26 hours ago I returned from India. I did a Discipleship Training School with YWAM in one of the northern states. Lecture phase lasted three months, and each week we received teaching on a different topic; Holy Spirit, Biblical worldview, the nature and character of God, and fear of the Lord, to name a few. After that, the class split into six teams for two weeks of outreach. I went with a team of three others to southern Andhra Pradesh and Mumbai. (We travelled by train, which was fun, and a quintessentially Indian experience.)

I learned lots of things (like how to French braid my hair, wash with water after using the toilet, and cook idli and dosa) and saw God at work in my life and in India. For example, I once wanted to get a French grammar book for Rs 50 or less (in a suburb of Mumbai), and He provided it. And every time I needed something and prayed, He gave it. Really, He means it when He says He'll "add unto you" all your needs if you seek His kingdom first. I also learned to depend on Him alone and not man. And that God's power cannot fill you and work in you until you don't have any of your own.

I will not post a great deal more about the trip due to security (Mumbai is the headquarters of a number of Hindu extremist groups), but I will post about things I learned and how God worked. Frankly, the DTS was not what I expected a DTS to be, and I was pretty disappointed with the outreach (we hardly did any ministry). I don't think I'd encourage someone to do one. I still learned lots, and it was great to be immersed in India for five months, but as far as "DTS" went...

In a couple of days, I will be moving to the Maritimes to start university. I am pondering where this blog should go. Since it is a public blog, I don't want to release a lot of details about my life. (Should I make it a private blog?) On the other hand, I want as many people as possible to be able to read it. (So how much can I actually say?) And since I'll be a full-time student (doing most of my own cooking, taking care of my place, being involved on campus and with other students , and still taking care of myself, not to mention working on my social butterfly skills), I don't think I'll have a lot of time for blogging. But I really enjoy writing, and having a blog will be a great place to write outside my journal and assignments. So let me think and pray about where this blog should go. Let me know what YOU think I should do with it, if you have any good ideas.

Oh--and by the way, you know how I "quit school to get an education"? (Oh right, I didn't finish that series. Well anyway, I did "quit" school, in grade 12. Someday I'll tell you about it.) Anyway, I sometimes wondered if I was wasting my time or doing anything productive. One day in India I was pondering it, and I realized that it was quite worthwhile indeed. I'll tell you about it within a day or two. Check back!