Goodness, I don't even know where to start! Last time I updated, we were waiting on a visa to come through for India. We expected a three month visa after at least a few weeks.
Well, last week we found out that our visa requests had been processed, but we didn't know if they had been accepted or rejected. In the span of about two hours we decided that it would be best to take everything with us to London when we went to pick up our visas and fly out from there if we were accepted. We booked a train to London for the next morning, a flight for two days later, packed, said a very hasty goodbye, and were off the next morning to London. We parked our stuff (we had a LOT of stuff) at a Starbucks and went in to get our visas. We found out that we were approved for the full SIX months and that was pretty much that! Now we had a whole day and a half until our flight.
I thought I had packed very lightly, but I still found it very difficult to navigate the London underground with a massive suitcase and a backpack. The entire way around London (we went LOTS of places trying to sort out paperwork and details) we got ONE elevator and maybe two escalators. Many, many, MANY staircases, though... after spending six or so hours in a library and making the poor librarians nearly bonkers trying to shoo us away from fire exits and telling us that sitting on the floor looked bad, we crossed town (again) and crashed at a wonderfully hospitable friend's dorm for the night. Two flights later, we're here!
When we applied for our visas, I had just begun to feel very comfortable in Wales. I was building awesome friendships with girls in my knitting club (yeah, we had an actual knitting get together on Saturdays! Stop laughing.) and generally loving living there. I no longer wanted to go to India, really, for many reasons. So I prayed for peace. Over and over I prayed for a peace with the decision to go. But I continued to feel stressed and grouchy about the fact that we might get visas. The day we were ready to leave for London, I was just plain angry. I didn't want to spend lots of money to go to London on a "maybe", I didn't want to lug a massive bag all over the city and look stupid, I didn't want to fly AGAIN. I wanted to stay in Wales, darn it, leave me alone. All I felt was stress and a terrible sense that this was the wrong decision. Somehow I must have gotten it wrong. God couldn't want me in India. I couldn't do anything good in India. In fact, I probably couldn't do anything good anywhere. Why wasn't God giving me this peace I had asked for?
So, on the advice of a lovely woman at the center who kept me from having a nervous breakdown, I went ahead as if I already had the peace I had asked for. God would give it to me in his time.
Along the way, God put little things in my path that really let me know he was watching out for me despite my disinterest in speaking to Him. Someone to help me with my case on the subway stairs (THANK YOU random men from London that DIDN'T try to run me over and get on the train first!), ease of travel, a member of the team to travel with...
Two flights and a few days later, we find ourselves settling into our new apartment. I'm sitting here in the dining room by the open door to the balcony listening to the Muslim call to prayer drift over the traffic horns and the people shouting to each other in Hindi, and I remember how much I loved this place when we came back in November. I've met with the team, and I feel really at peace here. I'm very excited to begin tomorrow, with a small amount of nerves but that's okay.
These first few days have been crazy, but they've been fun! I've managed to survive cooking for myself with few familiar ingredients and get around a small bit with LOTS of help. I'll keep you all updated! I have wireless in my apartment, so I'll be able to update often, I hope! In the mean time, here are those prayer points:
1) That we would really mesh well with the team here. They are a lovely bunch of people and I can't wait to work with them!
2) For language learning to go well. You can usually find someone who speaks English, but we'd love to know some basics to communicate better with everyone else!
3) Continue to pray for finance! God is really working and doing some crazy fish and loaves provision! It's great!
4) Another that is not related to Gap Year, but that I mentioned a while back: Kelsey that I asked you to pray for went home to Jesus Feb 2. We'll miss her here, but praise God she's no longer in pain. Please pray for her family as they celebrate the amazing impact she's had for Christ. http://www.kjkdancingthroughtherain.blogspot.com/
God bless you all! I will update soon!
Well, last week we found out that our visa requests had been processed, but we didn't know if they had been accepted or rejected. In the span of about two hours we decided that it would be best to take everything with us to London when we went to pick up our visas and fly out from there if we were accepted. We booked a train to London for the next morning, a flight for two days later, packed, said a very hasty goodbye, and were off the next morning to London. We parked our stuff (we had a LOT of stuff) at a Starbucks and went in to get our visas. We found out that we were approved for the full SIX months and that was pretty much that! Now we had a whole day and a half until our flight.
I thought I had packed very lightly, but I still found it very difficult to navigate the London underground with a massive suitcase and a backpack. The entire way around London (we went LOTS of places trying to sort out paperwork and details) we got ONE elevator and maybe two escalators. Many, many, MANY staircases, though... after spending six or so hours in a library and making the poor librarians nearly bonkers trying to shoo us away from fire exits and telling us that sitting on the floor looked bad, we crossed town (again) and crashed at a wonderfully hospitable friend's dorm for the night. Two flights later, we're here!
When we applied for our visas, I had just begun to feel very comfortable in Wales. I was building awesome friendships with girls in my knitting club (yeah, we had an actual knitting get together on Saturdays! Stop laughing.) and generally loving living there. I no longer wanted to go to India, really, for many reasons. So I prayed for peace. Over and over I prayed for a peace with the decision to go. But I continued to feel stressed and grouchy about the fact that we might get visas. The day we were ready to leave for London, I was just plain angry. I didn't want to spend lots of money to go to London on a "maybe", I didn't want to lug a massive bag all over the city and look stupid, I didn't want to fly AGAIN. I wanted to stay in Wales, darn it, leave me alone. All I felt was stress and a terrible sense that this was the wrong decision. Somehow I must have gotten it wrong. God couldn't want me in India. I couldn't do anything good in India. In fact, I probably couldn't do anything good anywhere. Why wasn't God giving me this peace I had asked for?
So, on the advice of a lovely woman at the center who kept me from having a nervous breakdown, I went ahead as if I already had the peace I had asked for. God would give it to me in his time.
Along the way, God put little things in my path that really let me know he was watching out for me despite my disinterest in speaking to Him. Someone to help me with my case on the subway stairs (THANK YOU random men from London that DIDN'T try to run me over and get on the train first!), ease of travel, a member of the team to travel with...
Two flights and a few days later, we find ourselves settling into our new apartment. I'm sitting here in the dining room by the open door to the balcony listening to the Muslim call to prayer drift over the traffic horns and the people shouting to each other in Hindi, and I remember how much I loved this place when we came back in November. I've met with the team, and I feel really at peace here. I'm very excited to begin tomorrow, with a small amount of nerves but that's okay.
These first few days have been crazy, but they've been fun! I've managed to survive cooking for myself with few familiar ingredients and get around a small bit with LOTS of help. I'll keep you all updated! I have wireless in my apartment, so I'll be able to update often, I hope! In the mean time, here are those prayer points:
1) That we would really mesh well with the team here. They are a lovely bunch of people and I can't wait to work with them!
2) For language learning to go well. You can usually find someone who speaks English, but we'd love to know some basics to communicate better with everyone else!
3) Continue to pray for finance! God is really working and doing some crazy fish and loaves provision! It's great!
4) Another that is not related to Gap Year, but that I mentioned a while back: Kelsey that I asked you to pray for went home to Jesus Feb 2. We'll miss her here, but praise God she's no longer in pain. Please pray for her family as they celebrate the amazing impact she's had for Christ. http://www.kjkdancingthroughtherain.blogspot.com/
God bless you all! I will update soon!
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