Wordless Wednesday

India, graduations, wedding, family and fun!!

It's been too long since I updated this last. I am so sorry for being MIA. :( 
Anyway. At the end of April I began my break by making a two week trip to India. It was so good to see and visit with so many of my friends there. :) I've missed them all too much! Here's a couple of pictures from my time there.

One of the neighbor kids and I

This is my host mom and dad. Aren't they fun?

This is one of my dear friends

Hard at her studies

As well as going to India for two weeks, I also was able to spend a few weeks at home. I first went to Oklahoma for the annual Nomads conference and to spend some time with my team leaders who are at home now. Here's just a couple of pictures to highlight my time in Oklahoma. :)

Deakin

Zeke

   

Sadly I seem to have misplaced the SD card that had the most adorable picture of their older brother and his best friend. :(

My next stop was Iowa. My little sister and her two boys picked me up at the airport, and I'm pretty sure even Sammy remembered me. :) I'll try to limit the pictures here, but I have 5 nephews and one niece, plus there were two graduations, a wedding and LOTS of family time since my parents were home, so please bare with me as I show off my beautiful family. :)

Eli, one of the goofiest, smartest kids ever

Sam, lover of all things in nature

Just a little action shot!

Two of the most beautiful women I know Great Gma Fern & Mom

Congrats Amanda, er I mean, Anna!!

Way to go Kry!!

Jude Dude and Grandma Pam

Noah loves to share his ice cream with Grandpa Keith!

Noah showing off his helicopter

Toby will steal your heart in no time!

Kaili Sue making goofy faces with Grandma Pam

Welcome to the family Ashley! You are gorgeous! You too Jake

I would LOVE to show you more pictures of my break, but there are so many I don't know that I could choose, and you might get board. ;)
I am now back in the Fils, truckin' away at my schooling and catching babies. :) I'll post some pics of the two I've caught since being back soon. In the meantime, I hope you are doing well. Send me a note and let me know how you are doing!! I love hearing from you!
~sara~

Mixed feelings

So, I fly out for India tomorrow. And I can't wait! But I'm also nervous. I'm excited to be in a place I call home again. But what if it doesn't seem like home anymore? I can't wait to see all the beautiful Indian people. But what if I view them in a different light than I once did? I'm looking forward to hearing the sounds, seeing the sights, and smelling the odors that are India. But what if the sounds, sights and odors that I once was attracted to are now repulsive to me?
What if I have remembered and glorified India in such a way that when I step off the plane everything that I once held so close to my heart is the last thing that I now desire? This is what makes me nervous. I love India and I don't want to do anything other than that, love India. And so this trip makes me a bit nervous because my love for India, her people and her culture may change in the blink of an eye. And I do not want that.
Please lift me up to the Father as I travel to, arrive and travel in India. Ask that any changes in my thoughts, views and heart toward India will have only made my bond there stronger. Ask that as I meet up with all my friends that we will have a sweet time of reconnecting and that our friendship will be strengthened and renewed. Ask that all the nervousness I have right now will be put to rest in Him. But most of all, ask that while I am there, that His light will shine through me.

Missing you and the times we had (old and new...)

It's been a long time since I posted last. Over two months! And I want to apologize from the bottom of my heart. I am really, truly going to try and be better. I promise!
Anyway. I was thinking about friends the other day. And it made me remember a post I did last year. I'd like to re-post it now, and add a few more recent memories to it.

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I was thinking this morning about life, and how at one point I spent a lot of time with certain people and then our lives went in different directions. We still talk and occasionally hang out, (well, now that I’m in !nd!a, not so much hanging out...) but our lives are more separate. So, in this entry I want to remember a few great times I had with friends.

I think back about two years ago. A core group of us from Camp would hang out almost every weekend. Kyle, Ben, Becca, Kelsey, and I. Sometimes we would pick up Alex and Zach and they would go “Fizz” with us at Village Inn. Or we would pick up the Lake Village kids and do something fun with them. Take them to a parade, horse back riding or have a birthday party in the trailer court for one of them. That was a really fun summer. I miss you guys!!

In August of 2005 I met the Biernackis at LifeLight. Leslie and I stayed up until 2am talking about nothing and everything. That was the beginning of our friendship. Together we helped run the coffee house at Camp, did LVKC, worked at Camps, lived together, worked together, pulled all kinds of pranks together, read and fought over who gets to read the newest Ted Dekker book together(by the way Les, I’ve got Bone Man’s Daughters, the latest...but I’m not sure when I’m going to read it...save for a hard day maybe), laughed and cried together, cooked together...the list could go on and on! I love and miss you TONS Leslie, JP, Echo and Jonah!!

In 2003 I was going to collage at Gr@ce U. I met an old friend there and we got to know each other again. Julie and I hung out a little bit that fall semester, but more the spring semester. But that summer(2004) we worked (and goofed off A LOT) in house keeping together. When we got off work we would go see movies at the dollar theater because they were only 50 cents before 6. We moved to Sioux City and lived at WIT for a semester, and then got an apartment. We had dreams of starting a catering business. We did scrap booking together. We got really good deals when we went shopping. We would go to kind of expensive restaurants and eat for really cheep. Jew, I miss all the good times we had. I love you!

These are just a few of the good times I remember having with just a few good friends. I want you to know that even though I am on the other side of the world I still think of you often and I love and miss you all immensely! I ask Dad to bl3ss you often and I can’t wait to see you in two years!

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While I was in Ind!a I met and lived with an AMAZING family!! They truly became my Ind!an family. I taught them how to make pizza and how to play the "Stealing Game" aka, Settlers of Catan. We celebrated Christmas together and I made up really goofy songs on my guitar about each of them. I love and miss you guys TONS!!!

My team in Ind!a was simply amazing!! And they still are. I miss playing games with you guys. I miss taking care of the boys while Stephen and Amber went out for a date. I miss going to parks and eating watermelon. I miss drinking Stephens chai. I miss living with Suzy, and watching movies together.

While I was home I spent lots of time with my sister and her boys. She has the two goofiest, but most adorable boys I've EVER met!! Eli loves to be silly, running in circles saying, "Stop rabbit, stop! Stop rabbit, stop!" pretending the rabbit is chasing him. He also loved to read books. I read Dr. Seuss's Sleep Book to him every night and pretty soon he was able to recite it back to me. Sammy is also an equally silly boy. He loves sleeping with a crib FULL of stuffed animals and chasing the chickens during the day. He loved it when I chased him through the house just to catch and tickle him. And I miss talking with Kry about anything and everything.

Well, that's my new addition to this old post. Even if I didn't mention you here, know that I love and miss you very much!!
~sara~

Wordless Wednesday

 It's been awhile since I updated anything on here. And it's Wednesday!! So, guess what's back? WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!!!!

Here's a couple pics of my nephews. I've been LOVING being able to spend so much time with them these past couple months that I've been home. :)

Home again, home again.

First I wanted to say that I am sorry for dissipearing for the past couple weeks. It's been somewhat crazy, but it should all be settling down for now.

I got back to the States late Wednesday night after a pretty hectic time trying to get a flight since mine was canceled due to the ash. It's a long story, so I won't put it on here, but basically I was able to get a flight from Delhi to Mumbai, from Mumbai to Chicago via Cairo(where we sat for five hours without getting off the plane), spent the night in Chicago and got another flight to Oklahoma City in time for the Nomads conference. It ended up being a twenty four hour flight.

I was at HGM for the weekend. Nomads was really good, as always. It was so nice to see everyone again. And I think being able to be at HGM for the first couple days of being home helped with culture shock. Although, when I got into the car on Sunday to head up to Sioux City I thought there was something wrong with the car because the steering wheel was on the left side!! ha! It was really kinda funny. :)

I have really enjoyed being able to spend lots of time with my sister and her boys these past few days. Eli is a riot!! He cracks me up. He asks me about 75 times a day what I am doing and when I ask him what he's doing he says "I don't know." He's so fun. :) And Sammy is just a doll!! He has got the most beautiful eyes I've ever seen!! And he's always jabbering away, though I have no idea about what. I'm loving being with them. :)

Well, I suppose that is all for now. I'll write more later, I just wanted to let you all know that I am still alive!

Leaving home for home - an emotional roller coaster

I'll be leaving home(India) for home(USA) in a week.
I have such mixed feelings about it. Every time I think, "I'll get to see this person when I get home" or "I'll get to do this when I'm there" I think "But I have to leave this person" or "I won't be able to do this anymore."

I am excited to see my niece and nephews, Kaili Sue, Noah , Toby(I get to meet him for the first time!!) Eli and Sammy. I've missed them so much! I can't wait to love on them all I can!
I'll get to see my brothers and sisters and their significant others.
I get to see my best friend and her family.
I get to see my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins.
I get to see many of you that read this blog.
I'll get to do some scrap booking with my friend Julie.
I can go to the library and check out a book to read.
I get to share with you about my experiences here and about what I will be doing, face to face.
I'll get to go to church.
There's so much I'm looking forward to!

But...
I'll have to say goodbye to my host family.
I have to leave my friends here.
I won't live next to the mountains anymore.
I won't be able to have paneer.
I won't get to wear all the pretty clothes that I wear here...well not without getting strange looks anyway.
I won't be able to take my clothes to the tailor.
I won't hear Hinid everywhere I go.
There's so much I'm going to miss!! 

The ups and downs of these next couple weeks are going to be tough. It's a difficult place to be. But I know that it is right where Dad wants me. And I am excited about this next step.

My Dad

Today I am missing my dad. So, I'd like to take a bit of time to tell you about him.

My dad is an amazing man. He's always been a very hard worker. When I was little he farmed and had a full-time job doing construction work. During the planting and harvesting season he would have to be to work at like 6:30 or 7, which meant that he had to get up UBBER early! He'd get home from work around 6pm, have some dinner and then head out to the field where he'd be on a tractor or combine till the early hours of the morning. He'd come in sometimes as late as 3am and sleep for just a couple of hours before getting up to go to work. When it wasn't planting/harvesting season he would be working on some kitchen/bathroom remodel jobs in the evenings and then work on our house when he got home.

My dad loves to have a fun time. He's always been one for practical jokes and if you know him very well at all I'm sure you've been on the receiving end at least once! One year he gave one of my cousins a lump of coal for Christmas. Another year he gave "airplane" rides to everyone in the family. And he makes the BEST King Ugga Bugga. My dad loves to laugh.

My dad is ALWAYS late! Growing up, Sundays were always very busy during the morning. There were seven of us in my family and we had only one bathroom. Our Sunday morning would go something like this. Mom would wake all us kids up and we'd eat breakfast, taking turns using the bathroom to shower, brush teeth/hair, do makeup...normal bathroom things. Every time the bathroom was free one of us would run upstairs to get Dad up. The first few attempts he'd just grunt and roll over. After three or four times he'd say he was getting up, though he wouldn't. Finally when all of us were ready he'd slowly make his way downstairs to the bathroom. He'd be in the shower while we were all sitting in the car. Waiting. Fifteen minutes later he'd come down to the car and blame the rest of us for being late because we were all using the bathroom and didn't give him a chance.

My dad cannot cook. Though he loves to try! I can remember times when my dad would try to make something, and he'd be really excited about it because he was trying something totally new. But it would be horrible because it was things that should not be put together. But you have to give him kuddo points for effort. However, I do need to say that he does make the VERY BEST hash browns!

My dad is the champ when it comes to games. I don't think I've ever beaten him at a game. He always wins. When we were kids we were convinced that my dad cheated at every game. But we would never prove it because we could never catch him. To this day he swears he never once cheated, but I'm still sure he did almost every game he played.

My dad is very creative. He was a construction worker so he has always been good with tools. One time when we were cutting wood for our wood stove he cut off a portion of a branch and saved. Later he cut it into small slices and shalaqued them, then somehow attached two of them together and made a butterfly out of it.

My dad is many things, and he is amazing at all of them. He is a great man, a wonderful husband and the best dad anyone could ask for. 

Basically my dad is the best and I love him very much!!