A year ago I was running a half marathon with my brother, this year I'm watching a Star Wars marathon with my family...haha..  Just goes to show you how unpredictable life is.
I was remembering today that it was that weekend when I was getting ready to drive over to Eugene that my Dad called me and told me they were planning on leaving in July and that I should plan on coming home by May.  It was ... not an easy time for me, to say the least! There was definitely a lot going on.  In fact, I remembered today that I called John after registering for the marathon in Eugene and then I sat outside the building and cried telling him about it while people walked by and stared. Oh, and I was eating a salad. Wow.  It was a really great weekend and a really disappointing one at the same time. It seems like my life got really crazy after that.  It's hard to believe it's been a year.  It's crazy how much my life has changed since then.  All the things I could not have anticipated- what it's like living here in Bangladesh.  And, through it all, God has been so faithful.  And I am amazed looking back- which makes me feel at peace looking forward. It was not an easy decision- coming here.  But, despite all the difficulties and all the struggles, I have always had confidence that I am supposed to be here, and it has made all the difference. It has made the really hard days.. endurable... ;)  I want to have that confidence when I go home too.  I really want to go home.  But, I just want to be sure that it's the right thing to do. 

It's mostly just another hot day in Bangladesh.
If it wasn't so awful, it would be almost funny...  all of us sitting around with glistening faces.  Wearing shorts and rolled-up shirts, guzzling bottle after bottle of cold water...haha..  It's incredible. ;P
It's actually a pretty nice day.  Dad left for Dhaka this morning to visit the guys who he recently baptized, so we don't have Bangla class today.  The house is clean, the electricity is on and I'm sipping a homemade mocha.  So yeah, it's good.
We had a really nice trip to India.  I am always amazed at how different it is!  You notice an immediate difference in how wealthy it is.  Nobody asked me for money the entire time I was there.  People don't stare nearly as much, they don't drive by and scream at you.  The food's significantly better. There's women driving cars and mopeds and wearing western clothing. People in general are just more polite and well, civilized. You don't see poor people.  It's cleaner. It's not nearly as humid.  The roads are emptier and they have traffic rules.  It just always amazes me!  And it's a really nice retreat.  Plus, there's AC and hot showers and that's hard to beat!
We were able to stay 2 days this time.  That was great.  We got to drive about an hour outside of Argatala and see a palace built in the middle of the lake. That was so cool.  And we drove through tea gardens and jungle...it was just really beautiful.  So, our visas are done for another 3 months I guess.
We've had another YWAM team visiting, so we've got to hang out with them a little bit.  Which is great- hanging out with people you can actually talk to. We played volleyball with them yesterday and then went over to their hotel for games. They're leaving tomorrow though, so it's back down to us.
I miss home so much.  Seriously... I feel soooo ready to be home.  I'm really, really hoping we can go back this summer.  I think that would be really good for us.  Plus, I can't imagine not being there for John's wedding.  It just makes sense to me, but I'm not God, so I guess I don't really know.. ;)  But that would be awesome.  Like I said I am SO ready to be home. :-/

Well, it has been a crazy long day- and a really hot one too. Oh my gosh.   It is ridiculous how hot it is!  I was informed the other day though that it's 'not that hot'... so maybe it's just me.  But, let me just say- I took a shower this morning and my hair never dried.  We're all walking around with a glossy sheen on our skin.  When the electricity goes off- oh.. it is quite miserable.  Sweat just pours off your face as you do dishes, or sweep or cook or, well, basically anything.  I hate it. 
I am feeling sooooo homesick lately.  Just tired I guess.  Just really missing having some normalcy!  Ah..  I do miss home. A lot.
Tomorrow we leave for India again.  Bright and early.  Seeing as how I no longer have an iPod I think it's going to be an extremely boring trip for me.  It's so bumpy it makes it basically impossible to read or anything...so yeeeahh.. it's gonna be great.  India is nice though.  A hotel room with AC?  Can't be that!!  Also we are going to see a palace there called the Neermahal.  It is a palace built in the middle of a lake and that sounds pretty darn cool.  So we get to see a little bit more of India this time.
Also really awesome is that Dad and Austin baptized a guy last week.  It's really cool how it all came about, but when Mom and Dad went to Nator to take Limon to the hospital they met this guy on the street.  Dad shared the gospel with him and apparently he was really open to it.  He was Muslim.  After a week or so he told Dad he had come all the the way down to Cox's Bazaar to talk more with him.  He really had a struggle though, he told Dad, "If I believe Jesus I will be alone. I will have no one to share my life with.  My family will reject me."  But, after a few days, he asked Dad if he could share something in church.  He stood up and introduced himself and told everyone that he believed in Jesus.  Later he and Dad talked more about baptism and stuff.  And he told Dad he was ready to die if necessary.  It's really amazing.  So, he wanted to be baptized- which is huge here.  He told Dad he wanted to be baptized in the morning so that everyone would be able to see.  Which is really brave.  So, the next morning he told Dad he had had a dream that night that he was in a really beautiful place and that there were two angels watching as Dad baptized him.  He said he wanted to be baptized right away. So we all went down to the beach and he was baptized.  Later he told Emily that he was certain that she was one of the faces of the angels he saw in his dream.  Which I think was pretty encouraging to Emily.  He then said to Dad, "I have to tell my family don't I?"  Dad said, "I never told you that."  To which he replied, "If I don't, I will be a liar."  That's even more amazing to me, because it seems pretty common and accepted for people here to say they are a Christian, but they don't tell anyone cause they don't want to suffer the consequences or cause trouble. But, he immediately told his family and, as he expected they were really upset with him and I suppose he has basically been cut off.  Thankfully he has a Muslim friend who told him that he didn't care if he was a christian and that he could live with him.  So at least he has a place to stay.  It was really really heartbreaking to see this man crying in our living room over the great loss.  But it was also really encouraging to know that God will take care of him and provide him with everything he needs.  So yeah, we're all pretty excited about that.  And pretty humbled by this guy's boldness!  Pretty incredible.

It's like we're either crazy busy- or super bored.  There doesn't seem to be much of a 'happy medium' here...  and lately we've definitely been on the 'crazy busy' side of things. ;)
Let's see- last week I had my greatest fears realized when I got up one morning, started sweeping the living room, moved a chair and when I turned around there was a great big spider sitting there.  So I screamed for dad- and the darn thing (which moves ridiculously fast by the way) escaped.  Then we saw it again, and again- it escaped.  Then we lost sight of it for a long time and I had pretty much forgotten about it, until I was standing at the table peeling carrots, looked down and the thing was like 3 inches from my foot!  I seriously almost died!  Of course, I  screamed like a banchee, then I jumped up/back into the couch, did a back flip over the couch- with my knife in hand.  I guess I can be surprisingly ninja-like when I am fearful for my life.  The spider died after that.  Thank goodness.  But, I haven't been able to rest quite the same knowing that they are here... :-/
Then, another of my greatest fears happened when I managed to hit my ipod on the corner of a metal shelf and I basically destroyed it.  I can't even unlock it- 3/4 of the screen is white.  I have never wanted to cry of breaking something so badly.  All my books, devotionals, music, notes, videos, games and all that... gone.  Not to mention we have a trip coming to India so now I am basically going to be sitting there for 18 hours since it's impossible to read on such bumpy trips. Ugggghhhh.  I have a friend though who knows someone who may be able to fix it here though, so I am hopeful...  that would be AWESOME. Not sure if I can get it fixed before the trip though...
This week was also the Bengali New Year.  So Suranjit took us to some cultural program.  They had some terribly annoying music going, they were painting everyone's arms and faces... we got to try some of their snacks and stuff.  It was cool.  Then we went to the beach and all the kids started throwing paint on us.  So we were all splattered with blue.  Then we went out for Bangla food. That night we went out again.  We wanted to wear our saris because the bengalis love it when we do. So, with great effort we put them on.  Then our neighbor came over and we asked her if they were right.  Her response was "uuuhhh... a little.."  haha..  so she brought us over to her house and her relatives took our saris off of us, redid them- which, I must say, it's pretty weird having a complete stranger dress you.  They gave us bracelets and fake nose rings and the red dots they put on their heads and flowers for our hair.  It was really fun.  And we definitely appreciated them fixing our saris for us...haha...
Plus there is a YWAM group here that we had over for snacks and there's also a group of surfers from Hawaii visiting too- one girl from the surfer group brought me peanut butter and chocolate and coffee, so yeah- that's awesome.  We will hopefully be busy with them.
So yeah, that's a little of what's been going on here ...

I don't know why I keep on writing on here... I realize I am writing nothing interesting or relevant and probably nothing worth reading.  All the time I think I should just stop- I think I'm probably just talking to myself.  But, I dunno.. there's something sort of therapeutic about it..  It's sort of an outlet for me.  All the same- it does seem rather pointless. 
But then there are nights, like tonight,  when I can't sleep (again), and I really think it would be nice to write something...  I actually enjoy writing I guess, but then- there's not much to say.
I've been doing a lot of thinking lately- a lot of self-examination. A lot of seeing where I'm at with God. Just kind of asking myself where I'm at, where I'm going and where I want to go.  I'm trying to gain some focus, some clarity and direction.  It's actually been really good for me I think.  
I am not at all big on being "self-focused", but it's so easy just to live life without purpose or intention, so I'm stepping back and just seeking God about what He has for me, what my purpose is, looking at how He has gifted me (having never considered myself as "gifted", it's a little strange...).
I started seeing some things about myself that I hadn't realized before.  As I have been thinking through all of this, I started noticing that I didn't really like what I was seeing about myself.  It just kind of seemed...inadequate.  I started thinking over my life and I realized how much I have always been driven by guilt.  I really feel like anything I've ever done never measured up, that I've never done well enough, never been good enough, never been "spiritual" enough. I guess it's one thing when that results in humility or conviction or God-given repentance- but when it results in fear and discouragement?  Not so much.  I don't think following Jesus should feel like a burden.  I don't think following Jesus makes His people feel like they are worthless or that they are condemned or that they are failures. I am not talking about when God convicts you of sin-  I'm talking about a constant weight of guilt that chokes out your joy and makes you feel constantly ashamed of yourself.
I've felt that way ever since I've come to Bangladesh-like what I'm doing is pathetic and that I must be sooo messed up inside.  I felt that way in the training program because I didn't like street evangelism or door-to-door.  I felt that way at the tent meetings with James Lucas.  And in other things before...
I think one of my biggest problems is that I have always had an idea in my mind of what I was supposed to be/do.   And I based it off of other people around me. And always felt guilty because I was not them.  
It's been interesting to kind of step back from all that and start seeing that God has made me different-and it's not less-than. It's okay-and it's even .... needed.  
My greatest desire is to do what God asks of me and to follow Him-and that is going to be different and unique and full of purpose and fulfilling and that's actually pretty exciting.
I don't know what's next for me or where I'm going.  For now though, I am here... and I believe I'm where God has placed me for right now and I want to be faithful to do the things He sent me to do- even though it may be very small.  And I want to really value and enjoy what time I have left here.

"I cannot give an answer, I cannot find a word,
My heart is twisted, tangled-
Frozen, all locked up,
My words turn into ashes,
Like dust that I've choked up.
Why are the tears not falling?
Can't you see that you have lost?
Don't you feel the lonely?
Don't you grieve the cost?
I 'm walking down a pathway,
Not knowing where it leads.
I gaze ahead-I'm looking,
Darkness is all that I can see.
Why is the light not shining?
The empty not replaced?
I'm searching for an answer,
I'm holding onto grace,
Waiting for the sun upon my face.
Melt this icy coldness.
Sent the fear away.
Chase me into meadows watered by the rain.
Speak to me so softly,
Won't you tell me who I am?
Can't you give me a reason?
A solid place to stand? "

Life is finally getting back to normal- mom and dad finally got back from their trip.  We left the next day for the youth conference and got back..  and now we're enjoying a few days of things being normal before the guys leave for Chittagong for a few days this week.  And then we have our trip to India in a few weeks.

Wow. :-/  So, it's already time for our visa trip again.  This will actually be our last trip before our visas expire in May.  Sooo... it will be nice to get all that figured out.

I am having this sense that there are some big changes coming up, not exactly sure what- but just feeling like things are going to change soon.  That gives me a lot of incentive to really enjoy things here as they are today.

    Yesterday we ventured to the beach and suddenly started feeling these  electric shocks like a jellyfish...haha.. seriously.  I think there were jellyfish stinging us.  And, I think Dad got stung by a big one- he had a red line all across his side!  Ridiculous.  

     Today we had a young woman come to our door asking for money.  She had a 20 day old baby- and something didn't seem quite right with the baby.  She came in and we tried to communicate as best we could.  From what we could understand she was 24 or so with 3 children, the oldest being 7.  She has no husband, and she said that he was married to someone else.  She said the baby was sick.  Dad looked at the baby and told her she needed to take him to a doctor and get a prescription and that we would pay for the medicine. We tried to communicate that we would go with her to the doctor if she wanted.  We gave her some food to take home. It's really sad.  And really difficult to understand- to know what to do.  I think if I had heard a story like that before I would've thought it would be very obvious all the things you should do.  It is SO much more challenging than I ever could have imagined.  After some confusion, we figure out she could read and were able to give her some Bangla tracts.  Dad and Austin tried talking to her some- she either didn't understand or didn't want to hear.  I don't know.  She thought our dish rack was a stand for the Koran..haha... she nursed the baby very openly- which was a little awkward.  The baby didn't wear diapers and he peed on our couch.  No big deal...haha...  And we got to hold him a little bit  and pray for him, which was sweet. 

So yeah- all in a day.  It's crazy here.