Can we say...WHIRLWIND!?!

India was amazing and I could write all day on how amazing, hard, beautiful, exciting, stretching, challenging, wonderful and awesome our trip was. I want to tell you about getting chosen to return to Pastor Raju's house church, share my testimony, see familiar faces and hug their necks. I want to tell you about how VBS went from an expected 1,000 kids to up to 1,500 kids!! And how chaotic and discouraging the first day was. But how amazingly as we prayed over the worship room, prayed as a group, individually, and in our team meeting asking God to dispell the spirit of chaos, to calm the children to prepare them to receive his Word, to give us tangible evidence of Him...and how He SHOWED UP!!! Tuesday was like a COMPLETELY different day. It was also the day I met B-ita.
Annie and I split the four 8-10yr old classes, so we had two each. Translation nightmare the first day was completely resolved the rest of the week. B-ita was actually the teacher AND translator in my second room. I new she was a believer just by watching her with the children. Every morning I'd enter and the kids would stand at their desk and proclaim "GOOD MORNING MA'AM!" Then she would have them say thier name and take roll. She's ask me to pray and we'd begin. I taught and did craft in her room first every day, completed the second class and then return to hers, where we'd usually sit and chat while kids were coloring. "I want to tell you my story" she said on Wed. And she disclosed how she was raised Hindu but begin secretly reading the bible early mornings and late nights so her family wouldn't find out. But they did. And they beat her. But she kept reading and felt no pain. Just pain that they didn't know this Jesus. Oh but God moved, changed their hearts and they are Christ followers! She's in her mid 20s and married a young pastor last year--and they have a small fellowship of 20 families, including her parents! Thursday she confessed she is 4 months pregnant!! Finally, they are preparing to move away from the city to a Muslim area because they feel called to start a new fellowship there among non-believers. Wow. God is moving in INDIA!!!!!

After the first lesson about God sending Jesus to call people to be part of His family (ie disciples) and the second lesson about how God uses the bible, the witness of others, our questions, and even conviction of sin to bring people to Himself, B-ita told me one of my students took off his Hindu idol necklaces and bracelets and threw them away because he wanted to follow God! The 4th day, we taught how God can change even his enemies hearts to follow Him (ie Saul became Paul when he encountered Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus)...I asked if anyone knew an enemy of God--fully preparing to say, well then how can we pray for them? That God would change their hearts to follow Him.....but before I could even get that far, a young girl on the front row raised her hand, pointed to the precious little girl next to her and said "Her parents are enemies of God!" Momentarily caught off guard, I began to speak when B-ita walked over to the sweet girl, spoke to her in Hindi (sharing her own story of her own parents) and asked if she wanted us to pray for her. So B-ita and I laid hands on this sweet child and prayed out lound. Hindi and English to the Father's ears interceding for this sweet girl and her family to Know the ONE TRUE GOD. Oh wow. I was walking on the CLOUDS all week. Speechless. Humbled. Amazed. Wowed. Awe-inspired. God took me to India to love B-ita, my sweet new friend. To teach these kids His truth, and to learn that He is SO MUCH BIGGER than I will ever comprehend. He didn't need me to go there. But He gave me the most amazing privilege I could have ever asked for. To be a part of His eternal Kingdom work. hm.

AND THEN....
I got home from India Sun night, got in bed around midnight, hit the ground running at work because it was CRAZY, picked my dad up from the airport on Thursday, looked at townhouses on Friday, he wasn't impressed. So he asked that I'd look at a new development he'd researched on the web and we drove out there Saturday. We stumbled up a brand new house in a wonderful new subdivision with a pool/club house where people WAVE at you as you pass. All the builder upgrades, front load washer/dryer, granite, hardwoods, stainless appliance pack, front/back porch, oh and they are throwing in the fence too. HA. I had to think. Just ponder. This is huge!!!

Sunday, dad and I went golfing and then he left. I spent intense time writing out my prayers/fears/worries/asking for wisdom, etc. And then walked in to church where the sermon was on the Fatherhood of God. Um WOW. Thanks dad and thank you HEAVENLY FATHER! I felt immediate peace as so many of my written prayers were addressed in the sermon. I wrote a contract on the house on Monday afternoon with my roommate (who is super excited; yet another confirmation!!).AND THEN>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

I woke up Tuesday morning with limited to no vision in my left eye. After realizing sewing my first total hip surgery was more of a challenge than I desired, and my doc telling me to get my eye checked, I left the O.R. I went UPSTAIRS and saw an optometrist, an opthamologist, and she referred me instantly to a neurologist. I got an MRI, with and without contrast, and blood work. I knew I had optic neuritis. And I knew that was potentially bad. Wednesday morning I met with the neurologist who confirmed the MRI showed I had Multiple Sclerosis and the optic neuritis was my first "attack." I WALKED over to the infusion room where I started my 1st (of 5) hour long infusions of steriods to get my vision back. WOw.

Okay recap. Within 24hrs I had seen 3 specialist, had an MRI, bloodwork, a diagnosis and was starting treatment. ALL BECAUSE OF MY OCCUPATION! I am so incredibly blessed to work where I do. And it is yet ANOTHER confirmation that this house thing was the right choice because looks like I'll be in B'ham for awhile with my neurologist until we can get this new diagnosis under control.What a difference a day makes!!!! His mercies are truly new every morning. Great is His faithfulness. I will embrace this new life challenge. I will be thankful it's not cancer or a brain tumor (and continue to pray for Jonathan Bean who DOES have a brain tumor). I will pray earnestly as a child of the Great PHYSICIAN for complete healing and restoration of my eyesight. And I will trust Him to use this in my life for HIS purposes, HIS glory. I pray others would see His peace in me and wonder how I have it. I can't wait to tell them about My GOD!

I begin beta-interfuron injections in my stomach 3x week for the rest of my life (or until they come out with an oral med which should be in the next 5yrs!)...and this will help slow the progression of the disease and make "attacks" less frequent. So many people live a normal, manageable life and have families, kids, careers.

Lord, You formed me in my mothers womb. I am fearfully and wonderfully made. That my soul knows VERY WELL. ~Psalm 139

#Blessed