So Young but so Wise. -Kati

Last night some friends from the school took us on a walk to a near by village that we had never been to before. Our friends took us to one of their friends houses.

They showered us with love, food, and drinks.

Kids from the village came and surrounded us, as we sat underneath the cool sky.

Hillary's dad (Paul) pulled out his camera and started to take pictures of all the children.

There was one little boy who was sitting in his swing that Paul took a picture of. Paul then showed the little boy the picture. The little boy immediately started to talk very fast, with excitement in his voice. We could not understand what he was saying though because he was speaking Telugu. We were all surprised at this four year olds talkative nature.

We quickly asked our friend to come over and translate for us.

According to this little boy, we had very white skin... and he said so did he.

He then went on to tell us that our hands were beautiful and so were his.

This little boy is so young but yet so wise. He saw that we were not that different at all and that we are all beautiful.

He was seeing us the way God sees us... all the same.

Do I fit? - kati

Have you ever tried to fit in, either at school or home?

I know I have.

Whether we like it or not, it is part of our human nature, to attempt fitting into our surroundings.

I have tried to be like my sister. Do the things she does. Try to wear the clothes she wears, go where she goes.

I have tried to fit in at school. Play the games kids play, wear the clothes my friends wear. Talk with the newest lingo.

Trying to fit into this world can be really rough and exhausting.

Everybody is trying to find their part in the big puzzle.

A couple nights ago 4, 10 standard girls and dean Lalitha came over to our house to enjoy a nice evening of cooking and just hanging out.

We cooked most of the evening. They taught us how to make the most wonderful, flavorful food. Each ingredient had a special part and was meant to be in the mix.

They taught us traditional Indian dances. Coordinating your head with the rest of your body can be very challenging. Each move was precise and had a purpose.

The like to laugh and joke a lot, which is pretty much saying the opposite of what something is. For example: "Kati you have such dark skin." With each joke, there was love behind it.

We ate, we talked, we laughed, we joked.

With these girls I did not have to try to fit in. Even though I am completely different from them, they brought me in with open arms, accepting me exactly how I am.

They did not make me feel bad for not doing the traditional dancing correctly. They did not make me feel like I had to impress or work to fit in. I just simply fit.

I use to think that life had to be about finding your place, fitting in.

Now I realize that you already have a place.

I now have the opportunity to make the people I encounter feel the same way I felt with those girls... That trying to fit in is overrated, because you already do fit in.

Random Happenings

Here are a few random happenings in India:

1. Have you ever been flipped off while being greeted? Well we have...

2. Every man in India has a mustache. MANHOOD!

3. While we were sick, we were told it was because of "bad eyes" (or jealous eyes), so to fix our sickness they put salt and chile in their hand and performed a ritual on us.

4. Everywhere we eat, we can count on enjoying a few ants in our food or drink.

5. In America, girls are always touching. In India you can't keep the boys from holding hands in class.

6. With such limited access to supplies, we find ourselves googling "home remedies" for just about everything.

7. With such limited access to hobbies, has left our wall with dirty footprints... handstands!

8. No baby diapers in India, we have both learned that the hard way!

9. We thought we had outgrown "pinched cheeks", we were wrong.

10. Our students pretend not to understand English.

11. Have you ever stopped a school bus full of kids based on your nationality?

12. Cooking,cutting, eating... on the floor.

13. Monkey's charging us on a normal grocery run.

14. People talking to us and insisting we understand Telugu.

15. What most people would call a " a quick grocery run" takes us around 2 hrs.

16. We can never get more than one item at one place.

17. We sweep the bugs out of our bed before we sleep, sometimes we're too tired.

18. Seeing men going to the bathroom on the side of the road...normal. It's when we get to see their bare butt that we get really lucky!

19. Our newness never runs out. The kids love us everyday all day, just like day one.

20. Showers every 5 days...That's on a good week.

21. People ask us what we ate for breakfast everyday. It is like saying "hello."

22.Our clothes and our dishes are never fully clean.

23. We bathe with a bucket of cold water, hence the showers every five days. We hold out as long as possible.

24. Every time we go to somebody's house we are guaranteed a cup of tea. We are way past our "three cups of tea". :)

25. We dance a lot. Thinking about trying out for the new hip Indian music video. We are still discussing...

26. We can't get enough of Ramone from the Proposal.

27. Never have to worry about too many options for meals.

28. We have gotten pretty good at pretending we like things, or hiding things in the trash.

29. Rice bellies are coming along nicely, thanks for asking.

30. Everyday, the experiences never get old...How could they? We are in India!

I'm a Fighter-Hillary

I'm a fighter, I'm tired of fighting now...

As I was meditating today, I noticed I was holding on to a lot of things, a lot of things that were bringing me down. I don't want to take care of these things anymore. I don't want negativity to be living in my thoughts anymore.

I get so bothered when someone wants to feed us. I turn into something I don't want to be. I become negative, and then it ruins my moments I could be enjoying next to my best friend, next to the ones showing me love.

Kati inspires me every time we eat somewhere, because she is so kind right off the bat, she acts like the fact that she is going to walk out of the house with a "rice belly" as a great thing.

That is what I want!

I want the kindness and love to enjoy the moments that I am put into, and I want to leave the worry and the negativity at home. I am tired of fighting the things I can't control.

I am starting to realize I can't control life as I know it anymore.

I am learning that I just need to LET GO.

Stop the worry. Stop the negativity. Stop the sadness. Stop fighting.

I am ready to let go of my life, because I don't have a choice in what moments God puts in front of me. Now, is the time. Now, is where I realize... God is in control.

Words of Affirmation are GREAT!

You know what is so great about friends?... They make you feel REAL GOOD!

We have a friend...Let's just call him Jacob. Here is a poem we wrote for this random guy we like to call Jacob:

You don't like words of affirmation,

But we couldn't resist the temptation.

Sorry the last entries are somewhat the same,

how could we kill the affirmation flame?

We can't help but laugh when you are around

there is always a giggle, even when you don't make a sound.

On a scale from 1 to 10, you're a twenty!

And as far as muscle goes...You have plenty.

Hungry you always are,

You like to use an etch-it sketch when riding in the car.

We can count on you saying it like it is.

You are some kind of serenading, writing whiz.

We enjoy the late night skype chats,

We love the idea of best friend tats.

Even so far away...

You still have the capability to make our day!

Kati and Hillary

Roomates!

I like to look at friends as God's gift to us!

I mean, friends are there through the tough times.

They are always there when we need a good laugh.

Friends are the people who help inspire us.

This is exactly what Hillary is to me.

Throughout this whole process, I have learned so many things from Hillary.

She has opened my eyes here in India to many different things, that my eyes had been closed to for so long.

Hillary is confident in herself and she has learned to LET GO AND JUST BE! By her letting go and just simply being, she helps to make everyone who is around her feel comfortable. She has opened her heart to others and now she is able to touch other people's hearts.

She embraces who God created her to be and she lives each day with a purpose of serving him.

She shares her love with everyone she meets in India, and her love for God is even more evident.

She IS a Woman of God.

Thank you Hillary for just being you!