No need to reinvent the wheel here - it's wonderful to use this time of year to state our blessings and remind ourselves all of the reasons to be content. So that's what I want to do.
And wow, I have so many reasons. Where do I even begin?
1 - I'm so thankful to my Father for bringing me here to India. He placed the desire for India in my heart, and then faithfully fulfilled my longing to come. There were times that many people didn't believe I'd make it - and they've told me so. There were times that my leadership thought I didn't have the persistence or follow-through to finally get on the plane. But I made it. Praise God for His Faithfulness.
2 - I'm thankful for a family here. I have all the fellowship I could ever ask for. I have so many people invested in my health and contentment. At any time, there are at least three or four households I know I could go and I would never be turned away. I have just enough Americans to help keep me from going crazy, and enough children to fill my heart and hug my legs so that my love and affection tanks are never on empty. I understand family differently in India; in such a way that makes me amazed at God's plan to somehow place each of us inside of the family structure.
3 - I'm abundantly thankful for Andrew Quinn Johnson. Quite a few people will look at you a little sideways when you tell them you've conducted an entire relationship across an entire country, and part of it across the entire world. And just watch any television show: you can't trust anyone to love you exclusively, vow or no vow. But this is not a television fantasy; this man is a man I can trust. He looks after my needs and makes long distance work. Not many people are so devoted, patient, or special.
4 - I'm thankful that the weather feels like the holidays here! I woke up this morning to a chilly day somewhere around the 50 degree mark. We don't use heaters in our home, so it's felt fresh and crisp all day! I believe in my heart that it's Thanksgiving Day, and somehow that's important to me.
5 - I could never be thankful enough for the Good News that holds the power of Salvation. Mercy is renewed to me daily, and grace is extended to me to cover every mistake I inevitably make. I will never forget His goodness. I will live in light of His Sacrifice.
6 - I'm thankful for my little place!
Here's the story: recently, a friend of mine who is my age purchased a beautiful house with her husband. (I'm looking at you, Jena Roach.) I mean, it's really fantastic. When I read her blog update, complete with picture, i was sitting here on my bed. I looked up from my computer and my face scrunched as my heart withered. I glanced around, taking in the cardboard surrounding my air conditioning unit, the footless, knobless, rusted oven sitting on my bedroom floor, my crayon stained built-in pink-starred closets, my windowless and decorationless walls, my nonworking showerhead, my makeshift open-air kitchen. Something somewhere in the back of my mind nagged,
"And what do YOU have to show for 23 years?"
But today, while you were sleeping, i was peeling potatoes happily into my little sink. As I looked around, my heart forgot the bay windows of America (they're still nothing short of fabulous, Jena; i'm coming over to visit) and remembered how it lives right here in my own little apartment portion of a flat in India. I'm learning to cook, live, thrive here, and that's valuable in my life. 23 years have brought me here, to this tiny wonderful place, and I am thankful.
Now, for those of you who have been losing sleep over what my little place actually looks like, I have a solution for you! I bought this awesome bowl to hold our mashed potatoes in for thanksgiving dinner, and noticed that it sort of acts like a fisheye lens! So i snapped a couple of photos in it for you.
And wow, I have so many reasons. Where do I even begin?
1 - I'm so thankful to my Father for bringing me here to India. He placed the desire for India in my heart, and then faithfully fulfilled my longing to come. There were times that many people didn't believe I'd make it - and they've told me so. There were times that my leadership thought I didn't have the persistence or follow-through to finally get on the plane. But I made it. Praise God for His Faithfulness.
2 - I'm thankful for a family here. I have all the fellowship I could ever ask for. I have so many people invested in my health and contentment. At any time, there are at least three or four households I know I could go and I would never be turned away. I have just enough Americans to help keep me from going crazy, and enough children to fill my heart and hug my legs so that my love and affection tanks are never on empty. I understand family differently in India; in such a way that makes me amazed at God's plan to somehow place each of us inside of the family structure.
3 - I'm abundantly thankful for Andrew Quinn Johnson. Quite a few people will look at you a little sideways when you tell them you've conducted an entire relationship across an entire country, and part of it across the entire world. And just watch any television show: you can't trust anyone to love you exclusively, vow or no vow. But this is not a television fantasy; this man is a man I can trust. He looks after my needs and makes long distance work. Not many people are so devoted, patient, or special.
4 - I'm thankful that the weather feels like the holidays here! I woke up this morning to a chilly day somewhere around the 50 degree mark. We don't use heaters in our home, so it's felt fresh and crisp all day! I believe in my heart that it's Thanksgiving Day, and somehow that's important to me.
5 - I could never be thankful enough for the Good News that holds the power of Salvation. Mercy is renewed to me daily, and grace is extended to me to cover every mistake I inevitably make. I will never forget His goodness. I will live in light of His Sacrifice.
6 - I'm thankful for my little place!
Here's the story: recently, a friend of mine who is my age purchased a beautiful house with her husband. (I'm looking at you, Jena Roach.) I mean, it's really fantastic. When I read her blog update, complete with picture, i was sitting here on my bed. I looked up from my computer and my face scrunched as my heart withered. I glanced around, taking in the cardboard surrounding my air conditioning unit, the footless, knobless, rusted oven sitting on my bedroom floor, my crayon stained built-in pink-starred closets, my windowless and decorationless walls, my nonworking showerhead, my makeshift open-air kitchen. Something somewhere in the back of my mind nagged,
"And what do YOU have to show for 23 years?"
But today, while you were sleeping, i was peeling potatoes happily into my little sink. As I looked around, my heart forgot the bay windows of America (they're still nothing short of fabulous, Jena; i'm coming over to visit) and remembered how it lives right here in my own little apartment portion of a flat in India. I'm learning to cook, live, thrive here, and that's valuable in my life. 23 years have brought me here, to this tiny wonderful place, and I am thankful.
Now, for those of you who have been losing sleep over what my little place actually looks like, I have a solution for you! I bought this awesome bowl to hold our mashed potatoes in for thanksgiving dinner, and noticed that it sort of acts like a fisheye lens! So i snapped a couple of photos in it for you.
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| this is the kitchen. you can see pretty much everything in this picture, including my stuff-storage system. haha. my little portable gas stove is there on the bottom right, my sink is at the top left corner and i'm cleaning potatoes on the table next to it! if you weren't sitting inside my bowl, you'd be peering at me from outside the screened window which makes up one of the four walls. that door behind me leads to my room! |
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| i just backed up four steps. you're looking out the kitchen door into my room. That's my Thanksgiving day outfit hanging there on the closet handle :) |
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| this is almost the same view, just from my bathroom doorway. my bed is on the left under the mirror, the guest bed that no one uses is on the right, under the world map, and behind me are my desk and the door to the main living area. |
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| this is the view from the door to my room! So nice of you to visit. see you next time. |
Love from Delhi,
Julie, content.
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