Things I have learned

Hello friends. I have been thinking lately about things that I have learned since living in Nepal.. some crazy funny ones.. some life changing spiritual ones.. so I thought I would share a few with you. I am sure that there will be more posts like this to come
1) I learned how to navigate my scooter through a place where there are no traffic rules.. to just GO and pray.. driving here was one of the biggest out of the comfort zone things I have ever done..but God was so good to protect me and I did not wreck once.. the only incident was that one time in the pouring rain going up a steep hill with leah on the back, got behind a slow truck, couldn’t get enough momentum and leah just slid right off the back into a mud puddle.. we could not stop laughing
2) That being said I learned how to carry EVERYTHING on my scooter and drive. Yesterday 6 pizzas and me.. call me the pizza hut deliverary girl
3) Learned to eat every body part of an animal imaginable.. lungs, heart, stomache, intestines,.. other unmentionables
4) learned how to use a squatty poddy, or outhouse, or hole , or a bush any time anywhere.
5) learned how to avoid the cows in the road– sure did not want to go to jail for killing one
6) learned that I am not a superhero. I was a very prideful girl coming over here and God sure broke that in His very loving non condemning way and truly taught me I am nothing but a sinner in need of His glorious grace. I cannot love nepalese people on my own, cannot be a good enough m*ss8onary on my own… cannot be away from my family on my own. God has been so near!
7) learned how to feel pretty even when some months I was forced to go 6 to 7 days between showers (this week it’s been 4 so far.. monday drove 40 minutes to a friends house to get a shower!). longest no shower time in the village= 3 weeks. Ladies it’s all about listening to the Lord call you beautiful. He though me beautiful even when I was greasy and stinky
8) the above being said, learned to wear jewelry and accessorize.. the right jewelry and you look fresh as new (at least that’s what I liked to pretend). oh yeah and bath and body spray is a must
9) How to survive in a hot church service where people do not wear deodorant? Take a little chap stick of any flavor and stick it on the end of your finger then dab it on your nostrils.. works like a charm. Also works for hot stinky busses
10) When big rats invade your terriroty– name them. It makes them seem friendlier. When Leah and I were in the village and had a HUGE rat we named him ratty rattington so that seemed to help when he threw things down from the ceiling on our head at night.
11) Gods’ word is so alive and active and is the best love letter ever. when I was lonely and read it He CAMe.. when I was angry and frustrated and read it HE CAME.. when I was missing my family HE CAME.. when I was loving nepal and couldn’t believe He was giving me this oppertunity HE CAME.. 1 John and the word was made manifest and I have seen it and testify to it!
12) He taught me how to humility– there is nothing more humbling then coming to a country where you don’t even know how to ask where the vegetables you need are.. and you try to get a 1 kg of onions, use the wrong word and end up with 10 kgs of garlic (that’s a lot of garlic folks)
13) He taught me His unfailing love. What it means to be romanced and comforted by the King of Kings when you have nothing of your comforts. I thought I knew what it really meant when I said God was more then enough for me. But I was really filling myself with so many comforts it was easy to say this. When those are gone.. I found God IS ENOUGH!
14) I learned how to be a mama to a goat.. never had a pet before… now have or had Baggy (rest in peace now Baggy) , Saggy the black goat (who just had the cutest little baby goat yesterday!), Big Mama and little mama…
15) learned that you can survive a brown recluse spider bite with out your arm falling off and get a really cool scar that changes colors based on your bodies temperature (bet you wish you had that!)
16) Learned how to live through the cold dark winter of 2008-2009 where we had only about 2 hours of power a day.. little house on the prarie
17) Learned to speak my best nepalee.. bat my blue eyes and therefore bargain for a GREAt price.. will miss that in wal-mart fixed price is fixed price and there is no bargaining
18) Learned to make food from scratch..everything from homemade tortillas, to bagels, to pretzals, to sour cream
19) There was that one time I rode the elephant through the jungle. learned that riding in the little box with 4 other people not so comfortable.. but when He invited me to ride on the elephants head.. that was fun.. until the elephant saw his lover and starting running.. um.. not so fun then.. didn’t know how to stop her!
20) Learned that God is worth sacrificing everything and He returns HIMSELF!

That’s all for now.. more lessons to come. Thanks for learning them with me!