320 * Sycamore: little makeovers

320 * Sycamore: little makeovers

Haiti...

Please take a moment and pray for Haiti and the neighboring countries that have been devastated by today's powerful earthquake. As we learned at church tonight, the ONLY hospital in the capital city has been destroyed, leaving the people with minimal medical care when they probably need it the most.

Pray specifically for the believers and the missionaries that are there. They may be the only 'Jesus' that their community ever sees.

Pray for the search & rescue crews as they dig through the rubble for survivors... Then also pray for their emotional well being as they find those that did not survive...

My friend, Lara, has family members that are currently unaccounted for... You can only imagine the horror of that situation.

Pray on, friends...

Lyrics...

I'm in church right now. Yes, I'm blogging DURING church. I think the Lord will understand.

I came to church with a headache. Probably an 8 on a 1-10 scale. I hoped I wouldn't have to sing because singing builds up the pressure in my head which quickly would have propelled that 8 to a 47. As it worked out, I didn't have to sing, so Palwesh & are sitting in the sanctuary participating in the Holy Spirit conference. As the team was leading worship, I specifically heard the Lord tell me to STOP SINGING and pay attention to the lyrics that I simply skim over EVERY week...

Can I share them? Vocalists, don't sing them. READ them. Meditate on them... As I am...

Hide me now under Your wings
Cover me within Your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar I will soar with You above the storm
Father you are King over the flood
I will be still and know You are God

Find rest my soul in Christ ALONE
Know His power in quietness and trust

How about this one:

I will bless the Lord forever
I will trust Him at ALL times
He has delivered me from ALL fear
He has set my feet upon a rock
I will not be moved
And I'll say of the Lord
You are my shield, my strength
My portion, deliverer
My shelter, strong tower
My very present help in time of need

We singers get caught up in the mechanics and accuracy - I charge you (& myself!) to instead get caught up in the lyrics....

Two weeks in review...

I know, I know... I've been terrible about keeping this fancy dancy blog updated... I've just been a *tad* busy...

Monday, Dec. 21st:

Flew to Chicago, IL and was greeted by my DEAR friend Julie Koehler Machak.

Tues., Dec. 22nd:

Leave Julie's house at 3:45 am to get to O'Hare by 5:15... Lots of snow and icey-ness. Julie's windshield wiper did NOT want to cooperate:

Palwesh FINALLY comes out of customs at about 6:35, catching us by surprise as he came out of a different door than what we expected. As soon as I saw him, I gasped audibly and made a beeline to where he was. This was the best picture that Julie could snap:

We gathered his bag (which only weighed 24lbs!!) and headed to Mom's best friend's house which was a bout 20 minutes from the airport. Jan made us homemade biscuits and gravy (Palwesh's very first American meal!)

We stayed there and visited an hour or so, then headed to America's Super Store for some essentials:

We headed to Julie's from there and Palwesh caught up on some much needed sleep. About 4pm, we loaded up and drove about 2 hours to Michigan City, IN where we met up with my adopted kid brother, Josh, and his now fiancee, Lindsey! Sure do love those kids!

We had a wonderful visit and then headed back to Julie's - Palwesh fell asleep in the car - poor guy!

Wed., Dec. 23rd:

We left Julie's early so she could drop us off at the airport and then make it to her office by 9am. Bless her heart - she ran us all over God's green earth!

Once we arrived and attempted to check in, we discovered that our flight had been canceled. So, to make an excruciatingly long story short,  instead of Chicago to Tampa, we went Chicago to Newark, NJ, Newark to Dallas then spent the night in a beautiful Hyatt hotel (thanks to 2 AMAZING families that paid for our rooms!!)

Christmas Eve:

After just a few hours of sleep, we left Dallas headed for Tampa... we were EXHAUSTED!!! Dad picked us up at the airport and drove us home. We arrived in Fort Myers at 3:15, I changed clothes and headed to the church for our Candlelight Services. Palwesh was going to go with me, but was so tired he stayed behind to take some rest. He came with Dad to the 6pm service and was overwhelmed by the beauty and majesty of the service. 

Christmas Day:

We had the joy of sleeping in late Christmas morning! That was VERY nice! We then got Palwesh settled in to where he will be staying (Dad's office). Our dear friends, Chris & Amy Thomas, prepared a goodie bag for Palwesh with all of their favorite snacks for him to try:

He was THRILLED! The only things he had ever tried before were Twizzlers (who don't love Twizzlers!?!) and some pretzel snacks that I had actually purchased while we were waiting at the airport... 


We later headed out to my Aunt Beverly & Uncle Kevin's house where we ate, as usual, like royalty! We missed Bethany, Ben, Violetta, Becca & Chris though!

 Ben taught Palwesh how to play pool. We may have to put him on the professional circuit!:

 I won't bore you with the day to day events of the next week, but fast forward to New Years Eve where this was Palwesh's preferred spot:

Needless to say, it was a quiet evening at home! Dad was snoring so loud, I had to keep turning up the TV! But all in all, it was a great night and a wonderful way to ring in 2010!


New Years Day we enlightened Palwesh with the way we southerner's celebrate the new year: with a pot of black eyed peas!

 

Sat., Jan. 2nd:
Brave Palwesh loaded up in the car with Aunt Janette, Aunt Beverly and I and headed out thrift shopping for the day! We all found some great bargains, and I think he actually enjoyed it!



 Sun., Jan 3rd:
After wonderful church services, we headed out to the Nobles' ranch once again, where Palwesh met a *bunch* of (but not all) the Amos family... In attendance were:

Aunt Bev & Uncle Kevin

Aunt Janette & Brian

Cousins Curt (aka "Skeeter") & Sharon & their 4 kids

2nd cousin Danielle, her boyfriend Joe, their baby Joey & Joe's 2 older daughters 

Uncle Keith & Aunt Linda (Ft. Lauderdale) 

Cousins Chrissy & Travis

Cousins Jennifer, Stephanie & Nathan

 &

Dad

As you can imagine, it was a wee bit overwhelming to try to remember everyone's names, but Palwesh sure tried! He had a WONDERFUL time and enjoyed being around a LOT of people. That's one thing that is a HUGE cultural difference for him... there are people EVERYWHERE in India! (Not to mention, not much concept of "personal space.")

All in all, Palwesh is adjusting well and enjoying life in the US. He has remained remarkably healthy, despite all of the busy schedules and  weird foods we throw at him! We still appreciate your prayers as there are many details to be worked out, but, we know the Lord is in control and will guide our every step!

One detail in particular we ask for you to pray for is the sale of Mom's mobile home in North Fort Myers. I HAVE to get rid of it! We have been paying over $400 a month for lot rent since 2007 for an unoccupied mobile home! If you know ANYONE that is over 55 and would be at all interested, we are anxious to sell it! Please have them contact me!

I promise, I will try to be better at updating so it doesn't take 97 pages to catch up! May the Lord bless you abundantly in 2010!!!

the time has FINALLY come!

At 11:00am EST TODAY, Palwesh will arrive at the airport. His 15 hour flight will take off at 2:30pm. PLEASE pray for him as this is his first flight...EVER!

I will be flying to Chicago tonight and will meet him at the airport at 5am tomorrow! We are going to visit a few people in the Chicago area and then will fly home Wednesday.

If you are in the Fort Myers area, PLEASE come introduce yourself at either the 4 or 6pm Candlelight service on Christmas Eve at First Assembly of God, Central Campus. I am excited that Palwesh's first exposure to our amazing church will be these services! I know he'll be a tad overwhelmed, but I know he can't wait to meet everyone!

Thank you again for all of your love, support and prayers! You truly are a wonderful bunch of people!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

Unbelievable joy!

Ok, my travel agent is a miracle worker and God is AWESOME! 

Palwesh received his visa this morning!!! (which, in itself is a miracle because his interview was less than 72 hours ago!!) I called my travel agent right away and she found him 1 of 2 available seats at an UNBELIEVABLE price!

He will arrive in Chicago at 5:15 Tuesday morning! I will head up to Chicago Monday evening to meet him. Wednesday, Palwesh and I will fly together (HALLELUJAH!) into Tampa where my Dad will be picking us up. 

Thank you all SO much for your prayers! I cannot wait for you to meet this amazing man!

Embassy interview...

Palwesh only had to wait 3 hours (they warned it could take all day) & his interview lasted FOUR minutes! Our visa application has been APPROVED!! He should have it in the next few days! Thank you, Lord!!

There's still a sliver of a chance that he can be here for Christmas!!! PLEASE PRAY for a *miraculously* low flight ticket price!

Thank you for praying us through this journey!

Three days later...

So, our prayers were once again answered! Instead of the projected 15-20 days to get the police report, it took Palwesh THREE days! Hallelujah!

Yesterday, he took all of his paperwork to the company that processes all of it to get it ready for his interview on the 16th. I would ask you to set your alarms to be in prayer starting at Tuesday the 15th at 10:30pm

(which is 9am on the 16th, India time) - this will most likely be an all day process.

Here is the information from the Embassy website to give you some of the Governmental mumbo-jumbo:

Stage 3: The Immigrant Visa Interview

Applicants are scheduled for interview as soon as they are documentarily prepared and, for numerically limited classifications, as soon as the Visa Office confirms that a number, under the applicable numerical quota, is available for that applicant. The purpose of the interview is to evaluate the beneficiary's and any derivatives' eligibility for an immigrant visa. At this time, the consular officer will confirm that all required documents have been presented and that there is a legal basis for immigration for each applicant, that is, that the required family relationship, employment offer or winning diversity lottery entry exists. Consular officers must also review the prospective immigrants' files for any legal impediments to their receiving a visa ("ineligibilities"), paying particular attention to the medical exam results, evidence of financial support, police records, results of name checks and the applicants' statements.

The beneficiaries will be either issued or refused a visa at the end of the interview. If a visa is refused, they will be personally informed of the reason and provided with information on what can be done to overcome or process a waiver of the grounds for refusal, if a waiver is available. If the visa is approved, an immigrant visa form is prepared for each individual.

Stage 4: Return of Passport & Documents by Courier

When the applicant's visa application is successful, the consular officer retains his or her passport and documents. The passport then has the visa placed inside it and the documents are placed in a sealed packet. The passport and document packet are delivered to VFS for distribution by courier. The courier delivers the passport and document packet to the address given by the applicant. It will take up to seven business days after the interview for delivery. The applicants pay for the courier service when they submit their documents at VFS before their visa interview.

When the applicant receives the sealed document packet it must not be opened by anybody. It must remain sealed. If the document packet is opened it must be returned to the U.S. Embassy or Consulate to be resealed before the beneficiary travels to the U.S. A charge must be paid to have it resealed.

Once received, the visa and accompanying document packet can be used to travel to a U.S. port of entry and seek admission as a Lawful Permanent Resident (LPR).

I am still praying that God steps forth once again and performs a miracle so that Palwesh can be here by Christmas! What a great present that would be!

"all clear..."

Hallelujah! Palwesh got an "all clear" on his medical exam!! Praise the Lord! Thank you for your many prayers!

The next item to bathe in prayer is that he has to provide a police report to prove he has no criminal history. (no, that isn't the prayer request! Ha!)

The police dept. told him today that it takes 15-20 days to receive this report... His interview is 16 days away and he's supposed to turn all his paperwork no later than 7 days before his interview date!

God has taken us this far, He likes to do the impossible, so we're trusting Him for just that!

Please pray on! We're still praying that he makes it here by Christmas!

SET YOUR ALARM!!

At 10:30EST our time tonight (Sunday), Palwesh will be at the doctor for his Medical exam, which is required for the visa process. (it'll be 9am tomorrow his time)

PLEASE pray that everything goes smoothly, that he is found healthy and that he doesn't have to have a lot of shots!

The next step is his interview at the Embassy on Dec. 16th. It is our understanding that he should know whether he has been approved or not that day!

We both covet and DEEPLY appreciate your prayers... this has been a lengthy process, but we know that God's timing is ALWAYS perfect!


Thank you so much - you truly are loved,
Palwesh & Anita

A Life Of Thanksgiving

A Life Of Thanksgiving

I'm stealing this idea from a friend (who also stole it from a friend) because it's something I need in my life right now.

The Thanksgiving holiday is one of my favorites... food, football, family, friends and lots of fun. But, originally, it was meant to be a day to pause and give authentic thanks to God. Unfortunately, for many, including myself, thanksgiving is more of a one-day holiday that a way of life. I don't know about you, but I've been blessed beyond comprehension, and even in the unwelcome moments of life, I have so much to be thankful for...

What would it look like if I ONLY spoke words of gratitude the entire week of Thanksgiving? If I went so far as to look at a pile of laundered clothes that awaits my folding and putting up, a task I normally hate, and instead think and speak out loud, “God, thank you for these clothes, for providing covering.” When my daughter voicing her grumpiness, “God, thank you that she has a voice that works and you are shaping her own unique personality.” If every time next week I see a person, I tell them why I am thankful to God they are in my life.

So, starting now and going through this Sunday evening, I'm challenging myself to live an entire week full of thanksgiving.

Anytime I'm tempted to think/say/do something negative (filthy, foolish, crude or otherwise unthankfull), I will instead choose, in that very moment, to give thanks to God for His blessing in my life.

If you'd like to join me, comment to this post saying so AND re-post this (in our own words, if you'd like...no need to link me) on your blog, twitter, facebook, etc. and challenge your friends to do the same. Even if you're not reading this until after Monday morning, it's never too late to take up a good challenge. And, keep in mind that nobody who takes this challenge is going to make it an entire week without missing the mark...so, when that happens to you, just pick yourself back up and start again!

Happy (life of) Thanksgiving!

THIS JUST IN...

I *just* received a call from Palwesh - his interview date has been set! It is December 16! Of course, I had hoped for sooner... But the Lord knows what He's doing!

He also has to go on Monday (Nov. 30) for his medical testing. PLEASE pray specifically for this... If ANYTHING they don't like shows up on his tests, they could deny him permission to enter the country...

God is good! Thank you for praying with us!

News from the Embassy...

I just spoke to Palwesh - he received an email from the Embassy that they have received all of his paperwork and now it will take anywhere from 2 - 4 weeks to schedule his interview.

PLEASE PRAY SPECIFICALLY FOR 2!

I'll be honest, I'm getting a little tired of waiting... Wouldn't it be amazing for this to be his first US Thanksgiving?? (or, at the latest, Christmas!)

Thank you for praying, friends!

Finally! Some news!

So... not much has happened since my post on August 26th... well, except the fact that it was all a lie... Apparently, the "Bureau for Consular Affairs," which sent me the bogus letter telling me that Palwesh's approved petition would be headed to the Delhi Embassy in a week, was a farce. Here we are, 4 weeks later, and I FINALLY received an email from the National Visa Center today, stating the following:

Dear Sir/Madam, (apparently the name 'Anita' is transgendered now)

The NVC has completed its processing of the visa petition you mentioned in your letter and
has forwarded the petition to the assigned US Embassy/Consulate General for further
processing.

As the file is no longer at the NVC, please notify the assigned US Embassy or Consulate
General of your change of mailing address and email address (if applicable).

Any further inquiries should be directed to the assigned US Embassy or Consulate General.

So... seeing as the Embassy has been GREAT about communicating with me (imagine my surprise!) I have sent yet another email to them, asking them to change Palwesh's mailing address since he has shifted apartments since the original paperwork was sent in.

PLEASE pray they do this... QUICKLY!

October 16th will mark one year since I have seen Palwesh... Wouldn't it be awesome if God supernaturally intervenes and he was able to arrive here that day?????

Thanks for praying, friends!!!

Enjoying the delectables at Crave with Miss Katie!

Posted via email from anitalewis's posterous

Giving Posterous a try

Posted via email from anitalewis's posterous

Vaccinations...

So... looking ahead to all that Palwesh *might* have to do to procure a Visa, I found the list of vaccinations that are required for US entry. Keep in mind, if he HAS had any of these shots, the orphanage he was raised in kept no records, therefore he could have to get them ALL again! Please pray that he remains healthy through this process!

IMPORTANT NOTICE TO IMMIGRANT VISA APPLICANTS CONCERNING VACCINATION REQUIREMENTS

United States immigration law requires immigrant visa applicants to obtain certain vaccinations (listed below) prior to the issuance of an immigrant visa. Panel physicians who conduct medical examinations of immigrant visa applicants are required to verify that immigrant visa applicants have met the vaccination requirements, or that it is medically inappropriate for the visa applicant to receive one or more of the listed vaccinations:

-- Acellular pertussis --
-- Hepatitis A--
-- Hepatitis B--
-- Human papillomavirus (HPV)--
-- Influenza--
-- Influenza type b (Hib)--
-- Measles--
-- Meningococcal--
-- Mumps--
-- Pneumococcal--
-- Pertussis--
-- Polio--
-- Rotovirus--
-- Tetanus and diphtheria toxoids--
-- Varicella--
-- Zoster--

IMAGINE MY SURPRISE!!!

Previously on the Palwesh/Anita saga, you will recall that I said that the National Visa Center (NVC) would take 2-4 weeks to proc3ess Palwesh's Visa... guess what!?!

When I got home this evening, there was a letter in the mailbox which reads:

The State Departments National Visa Center has recently received an approved I-129F
petition filed on behalf of your fiance. This letter is to let you know that within a week the
petition will be forwarded to the appropriate visa-issuing post where your visa interview will
take place (New Delhi)...

Your fiance will soon receive a packet with instructions from the consular section on how to
apply for the K1 visa at that post and what documents will be required...

Sincerely,
Bureau of Consular Affairs

HALLELUJAH! This is AMAZING!

Ok, here's your homework assignment: Since we sent in all the paperwork, Palwesh has moved to another apartment. PLEASE PRAY that the paperwork they send him actually gets into HIS hands and no one elses! The postal system there is less than admirable anyway, but when they know it is something of governmental importance, people may try to steal it or just intentionally keep him from receiving it.

PRAY ON, FRIENDS!!! You are treasured (and I can't WAIT for you to meet Palwesh!!!)

Visa update!

Well, it has been over 4 months since I sent in the petition for Palwesh's Visa, but today I FINALLY received an official letter from Homeland Security! Here is the Anita version of what it says:

Homeland Security approved the petition for the Visa. They now send it to the Dept. of State National Visa Center (NVC) in New Hampshire. Upon receipt, the NVC will take 2-4 weeks to process the petition, then they send it to the embassy in Delhi. They will notify me when it is sent. If I haven't heard from them 4 weeks from today, it gives me a number to call.

It may be a baby step, but HALLELUJAH! we're getting closer!!!! Thank you for your prayers!!

2nd Monday Supper Club...

Listen, if you're in the Fort Myers area, there is NO excuse for you NOT to join us for our monthly 2nd Monday Supper Club! It's simply a group of folks that get together to drop the worries of the day & share a meal together! If you haven't already, search "Second Monday" on Facebook and add yourself to our group. I send out a monthly note listing where we will be meeting - would love to see our numbers grow! Below is the note I sent out to the group members today:

Can you believe it is already August? HOLY COW! Where does the time go??

After an OVERWHELMING response, we will be going back to Pimpa Thai! I'm telling you, even if you have NEVER liked Thai food before, I PROMISE you'll find something you like! My personal favorite (and what most people that dine with me tend to order) is Peanut Chicken. UH-MAZE-INK!

So, grab a handful of friends and meet us there NEXT MONDAY at 6pm! You won't regret it!


17274 San Carlos Blvd.
Fort Myers Beach, FL 33931
239-454-3020

Where does the time go...?

Was April REALLY the last time I had something to say? Wow...

I had the amazing opportunity to spend the weekend with my original "kids": Bethany, Becca & Ben, my amazing cousins. I surprised them & showed up uninvited for a small reunion they were having at Becca's GORGEOUS home in NE Georgia. We had a wonderful time, just being together. Sure am proud of those guys!

Friday, my lifelong friend Kathi was able to drive over for the day. We picked up from when we last saw each other (almost a year ago!) and talked non-stop! There's just something about "old" friends that God knits together...

This morning I went to Andy Stanley's church North Point Community Church in Alpharetta, GA. Get this, in honor of the July 4th weekend, the opening song was John Mellencamp's "R-O-C-K in the USA" the band was amazing, the vocalists impeccable and it had all the trappings of a rock concert... but not to the point that the Gospel was ever watered down or made light of...

The speaker was Scot McKnight, writer of "The Jesus Creed". You can read more about it here, or check out his blog here. The main premise of his sermon, (and his book) is what he calls the Jesus Creed coming from Luke 10: 27:

"Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, 'Love your neighbor as yourself."

But he also took it a step further and included one of my favorite portions of scripture:

^{James 1:27} Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this:
to look after orphans and widows in their distress
and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Maybe you should read that again... I'll wait...

Let's look at this a second: "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this..." That tells me that EVERYTHING else in our religiosity is NOT PURE and FULL OF FAULT...

Enough of my sermonette for the night - I'll do my best to update this more often...

think on that passage & let me know your thoughts... good night...

American Cancer Society...

One of my dearest friends, Darla Betzer, works for our local Cancer Society. They had a huge event last night out at the Twins stadium called the "Relay for Life." She asked me to come out for the lumineria service last night, and I acquiesced, thinking it would merely be nice just to see her in her element...

Wikipedia (the encyclopedia of Morons) defines a society as "a group of humans or other organisms of a single species that is delineated by the bounds of cultural identity, social solidarity, functional interdependence, or eusociality. Human societies are characterized by patterns of relationships between individuals that share a distinctive culture or institutions. Like other groups, a society allows its individual members to achieve individual needs or wishes that they could not fulfill separately by themselves, without the existence of the social group.

Society, however, may be unique in that it is ontologically independent of, and utterly irreducible to, the qualities of its constituent individuals. As a reality sui generis, or "of its own kind", it is emergently composed of social facts that often hinder rather than help the pursuits of the subjects that form its physical and psychological underpinnings."

The last sentence sums up my lifelong feeling toward "societies." I feel the same about group counseling. A group of people feeding off of each others miserableness. Commiseration, if you please, which often leads to worsening situations.

BUT WAIT...

Have you ever read Hebrews 10? Particularly verses 23-25? Here's what the Message says:
"Let's see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching."

Guess what that makes believers...? that's right... a SOCIETY! I'm realizing that's been my issue the whole time. Societies without Christ are just a group of hurting people with no hope.

This is the part where I chastise organized religion for not "encouraging love and helping out" hurting people, whether believers or not. For making them seek support in hopeless places. I consider myself fortunate to belong to a church that makes every attempt to do this...

But then I also say a HUGE thank you to those, like Darla, who are infusing Christ into these places that DO work to ease the pain of those suffering.

As you can see, last night effected me more than I thought it would. It has now been almost 10 months since mom died... of cancer. 10 months since I was inundated with the cancer lifestyle. The terminology. The pale skinned, hairless people with sunken eyes... Those that truly know suffering.

I thank the Lord often that mom really didn't suffer. I give testimony on her behalf to everyone I possibly can of how the fervent prayers of the saints held mom in God's attention and He mercifully protected her from MANY of the horrors of cancer. No years of suffering. No vomiting. No hospitalization. Ever. It almost makes me feel guilty when I see those that are so violently afflicted...

Thank you Jesus. For your faithfulness to us. For the care You provide those that love You. For Weeze.

For helping us find a cure...

Spam...

Ok, not sure why these Facebook friend requests are suddenly plaguing my blog, but I'm working to correct it.

If you receive any more of them DELETE it immediately! DO NOT OPEN THE EMAIL... I'm trying to figure out if this is somehow connected to my bank account being hacked & $340 stolen out of it...

Sorry for the inconvenience...
Anita

Prayer request...

I just talked to Palwesh, please pray for him - his stomach is hurting. He thinks it may be from some chicken he ate a few days ago, but one never quite knows... Its so easy to encounter all kinds of parasites and amoebas there, which could be *much* worse than a simple case of food poisoning...

Thank you friends...

Great times!

As you can tell... We had a BLAST!!!

I heart Chicago!!

Live from Clearwater... here's a pic from the Chicago concert we're in right now!

Woohooo!

Please disregard...

Don't know how someone spammed my account, but I don't know that person that requested to add me as a friend - PLEASE don't add them...

Sorry!

Hospital Visit...

Just left the room of Mom Lyons - had a great visit with her, Michelle & Dad. Paula & Landon took the kids to a petting zoo... Their little lives have been turned topsy-turvy in the last 3 & 1/2 weeks - it was great for them to be able to get out & have some fun!

Mom opened her eyes & gave me verbal responses that surprised the family! Guess she just needed to hear my annoying voice! We had a nice time of prayer and Dad & Michelle are going home to take some rest....

PLEASE keep praying for this family!

Toxic Metabolic Encephalitis...

Paula called this morning with a heavy heart. Mom Lyons isn't responding as they had hoped after being off of sedatives for over a week. Paula is wondering if she has Toxic Metabolic Encephalitis from over sedation. No, that doesn't necessarily mean the hospital staff gave her too much medication... It could just be that her body isn't metabolizing the medication out of her system as quickly as other patients. Paula and her sister Michelle both have had similar reactions to medication in the past.

Please continue to pray for a miracle. Pray they are able to meet with the doctors that are involved in Mom's case and get accurate and up to date idea of what is going on & what they can expect... That has been one of the most frustrating thing about the whole situation.

Paula is attempting to work and keep her 2 young children on as normal of a schedule as possible. The kids are REALLY missing their Grandma and ask daily when she is coming home...

Please keep this family I love so much in your prayers...

Message from Paula...

Over the last week, Mom Lyons health has improved greatly! Now, the issue is getting her off of the ventilator. It has taken a long time for her body to metabolize the sedatives they had to give her so she wouldn't fight against the vent, so even though they are no longer medicating her, she has remained asleep & not responding to stimulation.

I just received this message from Paula: "When i came in said good morn she opened eyes & held focus. prayer 4 today has to follow simple commands & vent will b removed! love u all esp GOD!"

keep praying friends!

From Paula...

An early morning update on Donna Lyons:
"Belly a lot better today. Will try to take her off the vent again today. Yesterday I think she got excited and was breathing too fast. Temp. same."

Quick update...

Mom Lyons continues to improve! Hallelujah! They may even be able to take her off of the ventilator tomorrow! PLEASE keep praying!!!!

Donna Lyons and Larry Ford...

A quick update from Paula this morning stated that Mom Lyons is doing very good today. Her enzymes are normal, her kidneys are much better, the swelling is going down, and her fever is at 100 with the cooling blanket... Please keep praying that this fever goes away... COMPLETELY!

On another note, please pray for Larry Ford's father right now. I was on the phone with Sherryl when she received a call stating Larry's father may have just had a stroke and they are rushing him to the hospital. As you may or may not know, Larry is set to record a DVD here at First Assembly on Sunday night. PLEASE pray for this family. They have had so much happen in the last week, month, year... I cannot help but believe that Satan is doing his best to keep this recording from happening because it will be used mightily to add to the Kingdom!

Just in from Paula...

"Please pray 4 fever to resolve. we need 2 avoid sepsis. thank u my prayer warriors."

Update on Donna Lyons...

On the phone with Paula as she drove to the airport to pick up Michelle...

• Mom Lyons is running a slight fever, but has no signs of infection. It could be from the introduction of the vent tube, the NG tube or the EIGHT attempts to get an arterial line yesterday.
• No reason to do dialysis right now
• Doing very well on the vent, oxygen levels are at 98%
• They're keeping her well sedated
• Putting out more fluid
• Blood pressure has stabilized
• They will do a bronchoscopy today to remove a small amount of fluid that has accumulated in her lungs to keep her from developing pneumonia.
• Abdomen is still hard & distended, but seems to be getting a little smaller.
• The doctors seem a little more hopeful this morning, but constantly remind the family that this could be the eye of the hurricane. (for you non-Floridians, the calm before the storm)

Please continue to pray for this family. Pray especially for Michelle who will be walking into her mother's ICU room today, seeing her like this for the first time...

American Embassy...

Wow! You know those times when you KNOW God put friendships together for a purpose? This is one of those times!

I just got off the phone with a dear friend who is an Indian believer here in the US. He has ties with the American Embassy in Delhi! He is going to make contact with his friends there to see if they might possibly be able to assist Palwesh in acquiring his visa! HALLELUJAH!!!

Lunchtime update...

They have placed Mom Lyons on a ventilator. Paula sent me this text: "Please pray drs predict worse we are fighting and praying." Michelle will be arriving in country on Thursday. Please pray also for her safe travels.

Palwesh was unable to meet with the attorney because he could not get ahold of him. Kind of expected in India... Pray on, friends!

1 exciting, 1 devastating... both life changing

Just on the heels of Palwesh receiving his passport, its now time for his meeting with our attorney, Chinmoy! He will be there in the next few hours. Please pray that acquiring his visa will be a easy, inexpensive and SUPER FAST process!!!

I received a heart breaking call from my childhood friend, Paula Lyons Larkey today. Through her tears, she informed me that her mom, Donna, is in the ICU suffering with a life threatening case of pancreatitis.

I beg you to hold this family close to your heart and keep them in your prayers.

Donna has two beautiful grandkids that are eagerly awaiting her arrival home from the hospital...

She also has a daughter that is doing the Lord's work in a far off land... Pray for wisdom for her as she makes the difficult decision about when to come home...

Lifetime friends are special... therefore, their families are MY family as well. I have been blessed to have the Lyons in my life for more than 35 years... Please join me in lifting Mama Lyons & her entire clan up in prayer...

I pray that you all are blessed with (MULTIPLE) lifelong friends... My life wouldn't be the same without them...

I wonder what these guys are so excited about...

PALWESH JUST GOT HIS PASSPORT!!!

Now he'll make an appointment to go see the attorney about getting his visa... PLEASE keep praying!!!! God has done AMAZING things SOOO quickly! Wow!

(*ok, these guys don't really know us, but I'm sure if they did, they'd be excited, too!!!)

interpretation, please...

I received 2 emails today, from two different continents, each informing me they had dreams about mom last night...

The first was from my dear friend Neto in Brazil:

"... actually what made me do this (write this email) was a clear dream that I had with Your Mommy, it felt so good to see her. she was perfect and like she had gain weight and etc.....and than she asked me to pray for you it was something about your heart !!! I don't know what it is but like we know GOD is in control so I did what she asked me to do. And I hope you are ok."

The second was from Bethany, my cousin (whom I would also claim as my firstborn):

"I wanted to let you know I dreamed about you last night.  You and your mom were walking through a mall type place and talking about your wedding.  Aunt Weeze was encouraging you to have it around Christmas or on her birthday.  I hope it isn't that far away!  I love you!"

Isn't that bizarre? I'm searching my heart & actually spending time with the Lord about this... Scripture plainly states that in the end times, men will dreams & have visions... I don't take that lightly!

Just thought this was too good not to share!

Blessings on you...and... sweet dreams!

Big news!!!

As of this morning, Palwesh's passport has been granted and a passport number has been allotted!!!! Now the waiting begins to receive it in the mail (if you know ANYTHING about the Indian postal service, you know this is no small concern!). After that, all of the essential paperwork will go to Chinmoy, the attorney, (called an 'advocate' in India) so he can procure a visa. Please pray specifically for him and for this process...

We are getting closer!!! I am VERY excited! Cannot WAIT for you all to meet Palwesh!

Please also pray for me... I need a healing touch in my body. I can hardly believe that today makes 3 weeks since my surgery. I had a sort of relapse on Tuesday which has left me at home on the couch AGAIN for the last 2 days... Even though I tried to build up to going back full time, I must've overdone it by sitting at work for 7 hours... but I did get up and walk occasionally...

Then, yesterday, I started having a Chiari-like headache which worsened during the night (I actually had a dream in which I had a headache and was telling people it was from the Chiari!) PLUS I awakened with chest congestion - between you & me, coughing does NOTHING for head and back pain!

I thank the Lord for my boss, Pastor Mike! I cannot IMAGINE going through all of this and not having an understanding & caring boss... In case you're reading this, I PROMISE I'm working toward better health, Chief!!!

So today, even though I'm rejoicing in this GREAT passport news, I'm having to take pain meds again... and I *REALLY* don't like that. Please keep praying!

Passport update...

As of this morning, Palwesh's passport status has been updated to read "Police Report is clear. Application is under process. " He specifically asked me to post this on the blog & THANK all of you that are praying with us through this process...

I am doing SO much better, Praise the Lord! I am planning to go back to work in the next couple of days - am REALLY excited about that! Am ready to escape the confinement of my house!!! I am completely drug free (Hallelujah!) and building up my stamina... Thank you all for your prayers and visits and food and such!!

Pardon my delay...

(previously on Milestones in 2009 - Anita was in a semi-drugged state in the Spine Center at Lee Memorial Hospital)

Ok, I am sooo sorry that I haven't had a chance to update the blog in a while. Laying flat on your back & having no way to move the computer closer to the couch will do that for ya! I learned the hard way on Monday that I should only be sitting upright for about 10-15 minutes at a time. A few muscle relaxers later & I'm feeling ok again! 

I'm really doing well... not having to take any pain pills or any more muscle relaxants now, Praise the Lord! But sitting upright is still a small issue. I've been building up my time and am at about 20 minutes! Woohoo! (doesn't sound like much, but it's a start!)

The rest of the time, I lounge on the couch, watching old movies and such. Looking at my house that desperately needs cleaning, knowing I can't do anything about it... Gets awfully frustrating, but God is good... 

Eva let me borrow her laptop, so now I can be a more communicative from Couchside, FL... Looking forward to hearing from you all!

It's a boy!!!

Just kidding... But I'm out of surgery & in my fancy dancy room in the Spine Center (wooooooh!)

Thanks for all the calls & texts! Love you all!!

Welcome to 2009 - I'm Anita and I'll be your tour guide...

I wish I had the strength to be witty and come up with some creative ways to start out my first real post of 2009. But I don't...

I have been struggling with low back pain off and on since I was a senior in high school, but the last month has been the worst. I had an MRI on Dec. 2 that showed I had some bulging/protruding disks complete with annular tears.

I then took a wee fall, one that I hardly thought was worth mentioning, and the pain worsened. After a visit to Dr. Dusseau, we decided to get a second MRI to see if the fall created more damage. It did.

Tomorrow I will go in for a Laminotomy and some other random back surgery type things. Dr. Dusseau says it is a simple surgery that will take him about an hour. He says I will be up walking the same day! Can you believe that? I will stay the night in the hospital and go home on Friday.

Please pray for wisdom for Dr. Dusseau and for a super quick recovery time! Pray also for Dad & Palwesh - Dad, because it doesn't matter how old I get, I'm still his little girl and Palwesh, because he hates being away while I'm going through this!

I deeply appreciate all your prayers! I'll post a blog as soon as I am cognitive after the surgery tomorrow to give everyone an update...

Many blessings to you and yours in this new year!

Goodbye 2008...

Granted, this was written VERY late at night so I am certain MUCH was left out. But here's a synopsis of my Transpirations in 2008...

In 2008 I:
-learned more than I wanted about radiation, chemotherapy, (including the fact that a hot pack on the puncture cite BEFORE the needle goes in really helps!), Boniva, Procrit, Megase, Ron's Rum and drug interactions
- was in my dear friend Julie's wedding!
- was diagnosed with Chiari Malformation
- started taking neurontin & an occasional vicadin
- had vascular & nerve conduction testing
- encouraged my friend Babu CJ to start Asha Mission Society. Was honored by his request to be on his board & act as Treasurer
- saw Wicked!
- proudly watched my cousin Becca graduate with her RN
- proudly watched (via the internet) as my surrogate child Navi graduated with her BS in Psyc
- visited Disney... Twice! (Once alone & once with Keith a Heather!)
- had my heart broken by someone in leadership
- learned that pre-planning for funerals is really worth it
- saw my friends the Brunnstrom's twice! Once here and once in Denmark!
- was painfully disappointed by the much hyped Indiana Jones movie
- had a weird throat thing that felt like someone was stepping on my throat. Dr's said it was stress induced. Go figure.
- woke up one morning deaf in my right ear. Dr found that the pressure inside my head was greater than what is outside (they should be equal.)
- went 3 weeks with NO sugar
- started gettin therapuetic massage 2x a week - yes, Patty is awesome & yes, she's accepting new clients!
- saw Bethany, Ben & sweet Violetta a couple of times!
- learned a lot about end of life care
- fell deeper in love with my selfless family - they sacrificed all to provide great care for mom in her final days
- watched my mom slip into eternity
- was so thankful that Pastor Thomas could officiate mom's beautiful memorial service
- lost former beloved Music Pastor Larry Ferguson
- spent a lot of quality time with my pseudo-twin, Keith
- lost 34 pounds!!!
- went to INDIA!
- fell in love with the kids at Asha Mission Society Children's home in Bijwasan, Delhi, India!
- was surprised by a different kind of love
- daily fall more and more in love with Palwesh!
- was relieved of chronic Chiari Malformation symptoms that had required daily doses of vicadin!!
- had my heart ripped out as I left my beloved country, children and boyfriend
- visited Copenhagen
- visited Mariager
- visited Korsor
- spent Kathrina's birthday with her!
- went to Homecoming at Liberty University
- arrived home just in time for Missions Convention at first Assembly!
- was sad when my Disney pass expired =•(
- went with Dad to a Family Reunion in GA
- had Thanksgiving with friends and family at my house
- was diagnosed with vitiligo
- started experiencing bad low back pain. Had first MRI = bulging, protruding disks with annular tears
- took a wee tumble that apparently hurt my back more than I realized
- enjoyed outdoor Christmas movie night at Inna & Sanelli's
- organized & attended our first ever monthly restaurant outing with 13 people!
- constantly thanked the Lord for the remarkably rapid progress in getting Palwesh's paperwork done so he can come to the states!
- made history with my collard greens at the Admin. Staff luncheon (oh yeah!)
- rejoiced with dad when I learned that he is getting some relief from the pains in his legs with the help of Dr. Sievert!
- met up with my little sisters closest friend, Jamie, from childhood. Found out that Angie is a key reason that Jamie is a Christ follower today! Wow!
- spent time with amazing friends
- realized my puppy, Hadi, is getting old (she'll be 10 on Jan. 6th)
- had a second MRI - not sure of the results yet
- was told today to not "live beneath your spiritual promises" - great rule to live by...

While not all inclusive, I think this gives a pretty nifty timeline of my 2008 - how was yours?

What if He hadn't come?

Have you ever stopped to imagine how life would be different if we were still awaiting the arrival of the Infant King?

If the path of the Old Testament held fast, the crooked vendors outside our places of worship would set governmentally unregulated prices and consistently gouge our wallets for less than adequate animals to take to the priests.

In this do-whatever-I-want-to-do society, there would be no end to the flow of sacrificial blood. Immoral, impure preists would interecede for us and stand before God to make atonement for our sins.

Would we cry out to God to send the Messiah? Would we plead for the New Covenant which would end the rituals and bloodshed of the Old? Would we be watching for a young girl named Mary to make CNN headlines as she claimed to be carrying the Son of God?

Or would we care at all? Would it be too difficult? Would we give up and live as pagans as the Israelites did so often...?

Thank you, Jesus, for freeing us... I celebrate You today...

Quick update...

Just spoke to Palwesh... He has applied for his passport without any problems! PRAISE THE LORD! In about 2 weeks, the police will come & do an inquiry to make sure all of his information is correct - PLEASE keep praying! We're praying that he can be here by Feb.!!! (hopefully sooner!!!)

My 100th post!

It's hard to believe that so much time has passed since my last blog. A lot has been going on and I find I'm getting oncreasingly worse at correspondence. Please forgive me!

I figured on this 100th post I would get you caught up on all my goings on...

Good news first:
Palwesh has successfully gathered all the necessary paperwork (drivers license, birth certificate, etc.) and is applying for his passport this week! (Woohoo!) We have so evidently seen the hand of God through this process... and we praise Him for every small victory!

After a month or so, he should receive his passport. He then will take all of his accumulated paperwork to the attorney in Delhi and he will procure a visa. Whew! It has been a LOT of work for Palwesh to accomplish! Can't wait for everyone to meet him!!

Now for the less-than-good news:

I'll start out with a somewhat humorous story. One of my favorite doctors, Dr. Jim Hogsed (aka "the Voodoo doctor"), and I often laugh about the obscure illnesses I seem to contract. He kids that I keep him studied up on weird case studies & that I should be featured on House!

Well, this time is no different. Since I returned from my trip, I have seen SEVERAL doctors. One of whom was Dr. Vu, a dermatologist. VERY long story short, I have Vitilgo. Yep. You've heard of it. Its the auto-immune disease that Michael Jackson *claims* to have that has turned him white. I, like most REAL people that have it, have white patches all over my body where the skin has lost its pigment. The most prominent spots, unfortunately, are around my eyes. I have been covering it up with makeup for years, not knowing what caused it.
Dr. Vu has put me on a regiment of Protopic ointment & prescription strength hydrocortizone cream that has been known to re-pigment the skin. It supposedly takes a while to work, but we'll see how it goes.

Anyway, that seems to be the least of my worries these days...

After returning from my trip, I started having increasing pain in my right hip/leg/back area so my wonderful chiropractor (Dr. Thomas Sievert, 239-936-1233, in case you're in need of his services!!) sent me for an MRI.

The verdict is I have bulges, protrusions and annular tears in the discs in my lower back. It is TERRIBLY painful and, honestly, today has been THE worst and I don't know why. I'm going to see Dr. Dusseau (neurosurgeon) in the next few weeks to see if there's something surgical that needs to be done. There are times it is fine, then all of a sudden it grabs and feels like electric shock running down my right leg. When it happens, I'm motionless and can't help but whimper outloud... it is NOT fun. Today, I couldn't even get into my car without excruciating pain.

I do not like taking pain medication, but I am having to take it just to function. And today, the pain persisted despite the Vicadin.

You who continue to read this are my faithful friends and family... I'm begging you to pray... I don't know why this is happening, but I KNOW He has a plan! Pray not only for me, but for Palwesh - who hates that he's not here to help me. Pray for Dad because he doesn't know WHAT to do!

Lastly, pray for me... that I exemplify Christ through all of this. Who knows, all of this could be happening because every time I see my neurosurgeon, I am able to plant a seed...

I love you!

by the way....

I am still headache free! Praise the Lord!!!

Life went on without me...

Sorry for the lack o' communication... here's the catch up:

Well, I am thrilled to say that there was NOT a huge stack of work piled up on my desk when I returned to my office on Monday ONLY because Rachel (affectionately known as "Rackel"), Josh, Evan, John, Heather & Pastor Mike pulled together and proved that they don't *really* need me after all... I have spent the last week attempting to prove otherwise (hence no blog posts!) We really do have an amazing team in the Music/Media department and I feel very blessed to be a part of it...

Last night kicked off our Missions Convention. (You can find our schedule of events HERE) Our first speaker was David Grant, a missionary to, you guessed it, India! I, of course, bawled my eyes out. I will never understand the passion the Lord has given me for India. I have had the amazing opportunity to travel to something like 20 countries around the world. God has used that to build a passion for His people all over - but none of those places feels like home... none accept India. It is a very difficult place to live (especially for a spoiled American!) but no place on this earth grasps my heart like India does. The people are beautiful. Their eyes are often empty, though - as they hunger for something that only Christ can fill... It's dirty. It's smelly. It is a land of chaos. (what would you expect in a country that embraces Hinduism and worships some 330 MILLION gods!!! I have a hard enough time showing my ONE God the respect He deserves!)

Please pray for the people of India. Pray for the missionaries that are called there. Pray for me!

Many of you have asked for an update on Palwesh - he has received his PAN card, has opened a bank account and is now in the process for applying for a driving license (I LOVE the opening statement on that link: "Stop!!! You have reached your dream driving destination. Indian Driving Schools is your 24/7 junction to enhance the art and skill of efficient driving." Anyone that has been on ANY Indian road knows SOMETHING needs to happen to "enhance the art and skill of efficient driving." HAHAHA!) But I digress...

We have been told will take at least one month for him to receive the driving license after he applies. Then he will be able to apply for his passport (at least another month). We haven't given up hope for him to be here by Christmas - but that is DEFINITELY something the Lord will have to work out!!! PLEASE keep praying. For him, for me and for our future...

Every time I talk to him, before he hangs up, he says "please tell everyone there that I am praying for them..." and you know what... he means it!

Back to life, back to reality...

Getting ready to board American Airlines flight 555 from Raleigh to Miami with a connecting flight to Fort Myers...

Looking at a busy couple of weeks getting ready fo missions convention at the church, and for that I am grateful... It will help me re-adjust to Florida life and *possibly* keep me hectic enough to keep my mind off of all that I have left behind in India.

I know what you are thinking, and yes, Palwesh is a huge part of that... However, there is an orphanage full of kids that kept a big part of my heart there with them when I left...

I wish I could explain this better, but I THRIVE in India. Listen, before I left Fort Myers, I was taking vicodin almost daily for the headaches caused by the Chiari Malformation. While in India, I kid you not, I had 2 MINOR headaches (for which I took only ibuprofen) and have 39 out of 40 vicodin in the new prescription bottle that I had filled before I left! (i had to take one on the flight over)

more to come later, I have to get ready to board the plane now...

On American soil...

After traveling for about 20 hours, I finally arrived in Lynchburg about 8pm last night... I hit the bed by about 8:30 & was out like a light... until about 2:30. Its now 5:30 & I just can't sleep, I'll lay here though, in atempts to reprogram my body to Eastern Standard Time!

I woke up really missing my kids back in Bijwasan, New Delhi... I pray they are healthy, strong and that I get to see them again REALLY soon... I am going to call them today & check in.

the next few days will be fun - I will probably see some folks at Liberty's Homecoming that I haven't seen in a long time. Hopefully I can stay awake through the dinner!

Sunday I head back to Fort Myers - work will be VERY busy starting Monday as we prepare for one of my favorite times of the year: Missions Convention!!! (If you're in the area, you should come check out our Tour of Missions happening on 2 nights, a week from Sunday & Monday night! Its a great opportunity to learn about other countries & spur you, and your kids!, into supporting missions work!) I believe the schedule is on our website at www.famfm.com... If you have any questions, please let me know!

Ok, off to use the WESTERN TOILET & then will attempt to go back to sleep...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KATHRINA!!!

This morning Morten timidly knocked on my door at 7am and asked if I wanted to participate in their family birthday tradition... OF COURSE! So with breakfast on a tray, we went into awaken the sleeping Kathrina & sing her a rousing birthday song! What a great way to start the morning...

She & I are headed out shopping and spending the day together! I love her so much! What an amazing blessing the Lord has given me in her friendship (& Morten's as well! He is an amazing man! A great husband and an outstanding father!)

talk more soon...
a

A grand day out....

here is a picture of the Axelsen's and I in their living room in Korsoer yesterday!
They are sooo sweet!

90th post!

Wow - 90 posts! What better way to celebrate than with some pics from Denmark...

I think Kathrina was almost as happy to see me as I was to see her!

Copenhagen = big city

Mariager = small town

Kathrina, Mikkel & Kasper: Getting ready to go into Tivoli! (Morten was parking the car...)

(for some reason, it will only allow me to post these few pics right now... I'll try for more on a separate post)

And now... the rest of the story...

I always thought that no one **really** likes to hear the boring details of their friends love lives... Therefore, I have been VERY surprised at the requests I have recieved asking me to clue everyone in on the story that brought Palwesh & I together... I'll do my best. (all the while trying not to embarass him or myself!)

"I was born a small, black child..." Ok, not really. (in case you're not into movie quotes, that comes from The Jerk, a mindless, yet entertaining movie by Steve Martin)

Ok, rewind to 2003, my friend Cindy & I traversed to Kota, India with the intentions of producing a CD, sung by the orphans, to bring back to the states to raise awareness (and money) for the ministry with which we were working. Little did I know, this trip would change my life.

It was during this trip that I met Palwesh. He was a sweet guy with a silent authority that everyone respected. His type of leadership proved that you don't have to be a screamer to get things done. We spent a great deal of time together in the studio and in whatever spare time we had. On my last night in town, he missed the bus that was carrying a group of us back to the studio. I noticed he was missing immediately, but there was nothing I could do about it. I sat up several hours that night & waiting to make sure he returned safely. When he arrived, I think we both realised this was something more than just a friendship... Despite those mutual feelings, I convinced myself that realistically this could never work. I left India feeling happy that we had shared some time together, but that nothing else would come of it...

In 2004 we returned to India. Palwesh had moved to Beawar, which is about 5 hours from Kota by bus (if I remember correctly!). He made the trek to Kota to be present for the Bible Students Graduation... and to see me :0) Again, we spent some quality time together and I left thinking "this could never happen..."

Since 2003, we have communicated regularly via phone & an occasional e-mail. Every conversation ended with 'I love you,' but in my logical mind, I still couldn't make everything line up.

Palwesh had committed to meet us at the airport when we arrived on 22 September 2008. I was looking forward to seeing him, but again, was standing strong on the fact that it was just a strong friendship - nothing more... Then I saw him. An unquenchable smile sprang across my face. My heart literally leapt. (I should write for movies, shouldn't I?)

A day later, we had lunch at his home in Munirka (which was lovingly prepared by Sarika, his younger and VERY beautiful sister!) We spent the afternoon talking, catching up... then I, meaning to be funny, said "you know, several of my friends told me I better not marry you while I am here." His face suddenly turned very serious - he wondered why they would say such a thing... why they would dislike him so much even though they had never met him... I explained that while they were joking, they knew of our past friendship and my inability to completely get him out of my system... he smiled. Then he asked "well, would you consider marrying me?"

It was kind of funny... you know, every girl has this movie scene planned out of how their true love will ask them to marry them... Never did I think it would be in a rooftop apartment, in Munirka, New Delhi, India at about 35 degrees C (95 degrees F) in the shade, on the first few days of a 3 week visit to the land I love... but here it was... and I had no answer... So much of me wanted to scream YES! But years of over-thinking the relationships potential problems kept that from happening... Instead, I told him I would pray about it and trust the Lord to work things out if this marriage was to happen...

Besides that, I explained that in the states (well, at least the South), the man typically asks the woman's father for his daughter's hand in marriage. I told him that it was crucial to me to have Dad's blessing. I cannot wait for them to meet! Palwesh says that his priority is taking care of me, which includes taking care of Dad... He has spent the last 5 years faithfully praying for Mom, Dad & I. I am sorry that he was not able to meet mom before she went to be with Jesus. I know she would have adored him... (on a funny note: Mom could never pronounce Palwesh's name - she always called him "Paldesh." Apparently, there is a similar Hindi word that means something like "to travel out of one's country" - think Mom was being prophetic??)

Piece by unmistakeable piece, things started falling into place while I was in India. Dear Indian friends that we trust as spiritual advisors have given our relationship their seal of approval and are helping us get things accomplished. We were a bit uncertain of how they would respond because there are several cultural taboos in our relationship. For instance, most Indians (as well as Americans) feel very strongly that the man should be older than the woman - sometimes MUCH older - and this, of course, is not the case in our relationship. (I challenge you, however, to find a more mature & godly man of ANY age... I promise, it will be difficult!)

Also, there are always accusations anytime an American marries an Indian - most feel it can only be an illegal arrangement just to get the Indian into the states. Too many people have maniplated the system in order to get someone into our country, ruining the process for those of us that really are in love and want to be together. Our intention is to stay in the states for several years and then return to India in hopes of running our own orphanage. (with, of course, short trips HOME to India in between!) We both love India. We know our ministry will eventually be there. I selfishly want him to come to the states as soon as possible, so he can meet my family & friends... and so you all can come to love this wonderful man that the Lord has sent just for me...

We know it won't be easy. We know there will be people that don't understand. We are prepared for that. I just pray that everyone on the planet, at least one time in their life, can know the love that I feel when he looks deep into my eyes. That is something I seriously never thought I would find... I am truly blessed...

greetings from Jutland!

yesterday was Kathrina's sisters (Sanne) wedding - wow! The party lasted until after 3! I, however, did not! Today we will drive 3+ hours back to Copenhagen (we are in Mariager, Jutland now at her parents place) and we will go to Tivoli this afternoon! Woohoo! '

Tomorrow I will train to some old friends, Anna Grethe & Arno Axelsen, and spend the day with them in Korsor...

Wed. is Kathrina's b-day so we will celebrate Danish style (I have NO idea what that means!)

Talk to you again soon...
a

Goodbyes are of the devil...

I bawled my eyes out last night. The orphans sang and presented me with a cloth that they all worte sweet messages on... Pastor Saji prayed... I just bawled. I hugged each kid, called them by name, and told them I loved them. Some of them were even crying... it was SOOOO hard to leave... I won't even tell you how hard it was to leave Palwesh behind... AAaaarrrghghghgh!

I am currently in Copenhagen, Denmark with my dear friends Kathrina & Morten (& their 2 boys Kasper & Mikkel). I tried to post some pictures of how AMAZING the fall scenery is here, but something is awry with the computer, so it will have to wait till later. I have gone from the high 90's in Delhi to it being in the 50's here - I LOVE it!!!!!!

Ok, more to come later, but for now, a real, working shower is calling out to me! (and yes, their western toilet & I are GREAT friends!)

oh the matchless joy of a shower...

ok. So a shower doesn't *sound* like much. But when you have had nothing but bucket baths since Sept. 22, this mornings shower at Michelle's was a dream come true! However, said shower did confirm an earlier suspicion... the children gave me a little more than love for my birthday... here's a hint:

Yeah. I'm the hostess with the mostest. And, as you can probably imagine, all this hair is going to be fun to treat... anyway, just one of the exciting things one can come to expect living in close quarters with a LOT of children in a poor area...

Today Michelle is taking me to a market, Dilli Haat, which is not too far from her place. We'll spend today together then Palwesh will come fetch me later via auto rickshaw and take me back to the orphanage. Great times!

Just a quick note...

I am sitting in my childhood friend Michelle's flat in Delhi watching a Hindi movie & using her internet connection! By the way, she has a WESTERN TOILET!! This is heaven! She & Palwesh & I had a delightful veg. dinner at a local restaurant (less than $20 to feed all 3 of us!) and then have been chatting at her place... a collision of my two worlds! Awesome!

By now you must have figured out that Palwesh's name keeps cropping up in my posts more and more. One day I will write our whole story on here... but suffice it to say, we are very much in love... We covet your prayers as we follow the Lord's leadership on what to do next...

it is now 12:30am so I am signing off for the night... by the way, thank you all for your birthday wishes! You are all so precious to me!!!

Love ya!