varying degrees of thoughts and sickness updates.

well, on many accounts, this is a blog i'll regret, or at least currently it pains me to write. why you may ask. well it means a number of things.
one) that my nose really is plugged so badly that i couldn't taste one ounce of the kfc that kristin brought home for us sickies this evening.
two)well, i guess you'll just see for yourself.

i went to the doctor today. it appears that i have a combo sickness of strep and chicamongia fever. nice eh.
thanks to our little mosquitoey flying friends we've all caught varying degrees of this fever that attacks your joints causing mild to severe pain (that wasn't general now was it), low grade fevers throughout the day, sore throughts and headaches, not to mention tiredness and all around low morale. so sadly, i've had to wave goodbye to any last notions of running that marathon in jan. i can barely descend our five flights of stairs. and we hear it can take weeks or even months to fully recover from this. so that puts into perspective yet another disappearing goal. trecking in march. climbing mountains, not on my to-do list in the next month or so. we'll see how i'm looking after christmas.
however, speaking of to-do lists kristin gave our friend and psuedo mother in kolkata some special lists of her own today, namely finding the three of us hard to come by quality men when her and her husband head back to london for christmas. i do a mean british accent, we'll see what come of it...the to-do list, not my accent. and yes, this was a very random aside.

but also speaking of lists and sicknesses and things i tried to do today. i was hoping to taste my kfc this evening. so, heeding the advice and knowledge of the ever helpful and often hilariously illustrated "where there is no doctor" book i boiled water to make my own vaporizor. however, i don't understand the inner workings of home made vaporizors. i dropped my perscribed pill into the said home made vaporing pot only to watch the pill begin to burn, only then to stab at the said pill until what i hoped was medicated vapor reaches upward into my unsmelling untasting face. negative.
with one failed attempt under my belt i began anew. so i filled a glass with salt water and attempted to clear out my sinus cavaties by snorting the sodium water up my nose. entertaining perhaps if we were all still in jr. high.
may it just suffice to say there was no tasting or smelling happening anywhere near me this evening.

so please continue to remember my community and i as we battle through this nasty fever. there's not much time left with my team and i feel panic stricken to have to spend any amount of that time laid up in my bed passed out or unable to taste.
and if you have any thoughts on vaporizors, feel free to pass it along my way.
peace to you all.

turkey and viral fevers.

Well, another turkey day, come and gone. Unfortunately the beautiful celebration was covered in the wet blanket of viral fever for me. but in between joint aches and pains and bouts with the thermometer, I found myself looking around our living room full of friends realizing yet again how God sets us in families. Even when we leave the ones we love so dearly.
It was a great day of sprawling out on the floor watching elf and white Christmas. My team and Sarah did an amazing job of making all the food…there was SO MUCH food.
It was also pretty funny to try and explain the how’s and why’s of thanksgiving to a handful of brits and kiwis…oh and our one Holland representative. Kristin told them all we were the Indians sharing our food with the colonists…next year we’ll prepare costumes.
A holiday centered on eating and being together. And giving thanks. And of course a million different desserts. My kind of day.
I love to think of how God created us, to be together, with the innate desire to celebrate things and be celebrated. I might still be hobbling around the house like a hunch backed old lady (thank you viral fever) but my insides are bursting with true thankful joy.
Hope you all had an enjoyable day with your own families.
Much love.

Ps-did I mention that we had four different desserts. Not even kolkata living can cramp true American holiday style. Ha.

**photos taken by the lovely Jodi, current servant team member.

glimpses.

well, in cyclone news. it was heading straight for us in kolkata. but shifted and missed us. amazing actually. although devestating for bangladesh. i have heard death totals of over 2.000 already but here's what bbc had to say...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7100957.stm
there is so much happening around here right now. we have a huge shipment of sari bari products being moved to the states tonight, thanks to kim west. (also thanks to kim west we have some amazing sugar cookies freshly baked from the kitchens of nepal!!)

http://www.saribari.com/

my team offifically has three weeks left. their time here has gone so fast, and i can't believe i'm nearing a year already of being back in india. this week we'll be celebrating a great thanksgiving among our kiwi and british friends. indian thanksgiving style. i don't think we'll be able to dig up a turkey but tandoori chicken will make a great second place. and i think we might even get a pumpkin pie of sorts. i'm such a sucker for nostalgia, and a big thursday feast just feeds the fire. if i can't be home among my dear family, at least i still get to enjoy amongst dear kolkata friends.

oh, and january 3rd my brother is coming to k-town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
i stll can't really believe he's coming. i walk up and down the streets of kolkata noting mental reminders to take him here, show him there, have him try this food and see and meet so and so. i can't really explain just how much it means to have him coming, and to get a chance to share my life with someone back home...not to mention i think he'll have plenty of room in his suitcase for sugary christmas treasures...mmmm.

I have a new friend. her name, imagination. She is 37, beautiful, joyful. Her body has been her commerce. Until she was hit by a car. Unable to walk due to deep gashes on each ankle and a fracture in one foot we began to visit her, sit on the street with her, clutch her hands as we cleaned out her wounds. In need of a doctor’s care we admitted her to the hospital. And from her bed this woman teaches me how to handle sacrifice and love and what to do with joy. When she introduces me to her new friends she explains, “this is my sister, she is giving me new life.” Ah, if she only knew, I am the one receiving new life...hopefully she will be released from the hospital soon, and get to walk out!!!

so thats a little glimpse for today. more to come.
peace.

well, a large cyclone is supposed to hit tonight. so, if we haven't all blown away in the 80mile an hour winds fastly approaching, i'll send another update soon.
please pray for all our friends who don't live in such sturdy buildings.

nepal revisited.

well, forgive my out of order-ness. but here are a few pictures from nepal. beautiful megha (Upendra's daughter) and one of our entire staff and servant team. more updating to come. promise.

perfect.

perfect joy,
found in weary eyes.
walked with caloused heels.
built in hearts laid down.

a rebuilt body,
in brokeness and wounds
a steardy connerstone is laid
watch me set the lonely in families
He says.
watch me give the mute a song
watch me, I am making all things new.