I hope you haven't forgotten...

Dear Friends and Family,


How is everyone? I'm sorry that it has been so long since you’ve heard from me. A lot of things have been happening on this side of the world, and spare time has been little. I think of y’all often and would love to hear from you, so please email me!


So...what’s been happening here? April was very busy with my supervisor coming to visit, going on a short trip to celebrate our risen L-D, more time with the supervisor, helping the other girls to find a house, packing, saying goodbyes, wrapping things up with my Hindi study. My job in the North wasn’t a great fit, and a better one opened up, so May 2nd I moved from a small town up North in the mountains to a huge city down South near the beach. A lot of things are new here.....new team, new roommates, new job, new culture, new language, new climate, etc.




goodbye beautiful mountain scenery!

Now, most of May has also passed with moving, a three day event with an orphanage, beginning to study Tamil, a four day trip with teammates to do some follow-up surveys, Sundays at a place of w-ship called Ashraya (refuge), and getting acclimated to the city.



Things to think about on my behalf:
• Adjustment to everything new. Also, that I would everyday fix my eyes on the Rock of Ages who will never change.
• Strength to bear the heat (up to 111 F and very humid).
• That the L-D would work through me to shine light in this dark country.
• Local believers here in the South. That they would not rely on tradition, but on the Word. That they would share the Good News everywhere they go.
• That Father would continue to work in the North.
• That the L-D would work through the devastation that still exists because of the tsunami in 2004.


Blessings,
Roz,
or these days more commonly known as Rose (they can’t pronounce the “z” and I don’t want to be called “Raj”)

This is beach about 8 hours away from where I live.

Around 6000 people were killed here in the tsunami that happened in December 2004.

Pahari boy

Pahari man in traditional dress

just to share some photos...

our little town...

our little street...

our little stairs...

the trash pit...

a house along the way...




enjoy!

So, it's March

“For all the gods of the peoples are idols, but the Lord made the heavens.”

1Chr 16:26

In every shop, in every home, around every corner, in the hearts of the people, and everywhere you look there are idols. However, when I look to the mountains, and at the beautiful birds, and into the hearts of the believers here I know that the one God, the Lord Almighty made the heavens and the earth.

A local Hindu temple to Kali.

This month, the days have been filled with many hours of language study. For a couple hours a day I study what I have in my notebook, then I go out into the community to practice what I’m learning. Six days a week, a teacher comes to our flat for a couple of hours in the evening to give us Hindi lessons. Also, we have been meeting many new people and making relationships with our neighbors and shopkeepers.

Praises:
Still, I haven’t really been sick (except for the one day after eating my American Peter Pan Peanut Butter!!!). New friends who are local Kingdom workers...they have really been an encouragement. The travel this past month was very informative, and it went very smoothly (that just sounded funny to me, because the road was anything but smooth!)



Things to think about on my behalf:

• Direction in assignment and location; We will take another survey trip March 20-26.
• I haven’t really been sleeping very well.
• The local Kingdom workers; many have faced much persecution. Some have worked here many years without yet being able to see a harvest.
• Also, for continued language learning.

(If you can read the sign on the wall by my head, it says deewahr = wall. The hat on my head is a traditional Pahari hat that is worn by the old men in this area.)

Blessings...

It's been a month now...

The Accounts of a Mountain Girl
Update #2 February 2007
“Your steadfast love, O Lord, extends to the heavens, your faithfulness to the clouds. Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.; your judgments are like the great deep; man and beast you save, O Lord.” Ps 36:5-6

It’s really hard to believe, but I’ve been in this land for a month now. This past month was very busy for me; some of the highlights included: (1) two weeks of orientation in the big city, (2)a really long bus ride to our new town, (3) our week long home at the lodge, (4) moving across the street into a flat!, (5) losing my wallet!, (6) the return of my wallet!, my first full week of language study, and many more adventures.

In everything, the Father showed me His faithfulness and steadfast loves that never fails. The mountains pictured above are the view from outside our flat. Today, they have fresh snow, and are even more beautiful than pictured!

Praises:

• SAFE TRAVEL TO OUR NEW TOWN, A PLACE TO STAY, A LANGUAGE TEACHER
• NO SICKNESS FOR ME
• MY WALLET– One day I realized that my wallet was missing. I knew I had used it the
  previous day, so I talked to the Father and proceeded to retrace my steps. A gracious “uncle," who speaks English, helped me speak to the tailor and various other shop owners about my missing wallet. No one could recall seeing it, so I returned home. I decided that the wise thing to do would be to cancel my debit card, so I called the bank. Before the bank answered, the tailor was at the door with my wallet......and everything was still inside. PTL!

Things to think about on my behalf...

• RELATIONSHIPS WITH TEAMMATES– There are four of us girls who don’t really know each other well, living in a very small space. Ask that we prefer one another in love.
• OPPORTUNITIES TO SHARE– This is hard because we do not have the language skills yet, but just ask that there would be a girl who speaks English and with whom I can share the good news.
• LANGUAGE– That I would be diligent to study, that I would learn quickly, and that my
  lessons would be efficient.
• UPCOMING TRAVEL FOR "H" AND I– February 13th- 15th we will be traveling a couple of hours to a city to do some research (on our people, and on the city). This could be a possible place for the two of us to live after April. We will take two additional trips in the next couple of months.

This is on the local bus. There was standing room only this day, but it’s SO cheap!
Thanks for lifting me up!

Grace and Peace

The Beginning Tales...

Message from January, 2007

I must apologize for taking so long to update you. I’m here in “I,” in the big city. This place is overwhelming with colors, smells, animals, and people. One thing that I have realized so far is that the simple things in life here take 10x the amount of time to accomplish than in the States. We have had a very full schedule of orientation, getting to know the leadership, and getting to know the city. Sorry that this first email isn’t very creative; I’m going to work on that.

Thing to think about on my behalf...

• Tuesday morning (10 ½ hours ahead of EST) I travel 12 hours by car north with 3 other girls to a city where we will be intensely studying Hindi for 3 months.
• The next couple of years that the Father would increase my faith.
• For a national girl in which I can invest some time.
• For salvation of lost friends and family
• For the Father to be working among the “D” people group.
• Logistical details of life here (a place to stay during language, etc.)

Here are a couple of pictures that a friend took of the city these past couple weeks.