overdue updates and a malaria scare

I guess it's probably time to update this old thing....sorry for the lack of blogs! In case you didn't know, I also blog over at thephotogenxtrack.wordpress.com, so if this one hasn't been updated in a while, check that one out. It tends to be more regular...

Since India, I was able to go HOME, which was such a blessing! I was able to hang out with my sister and grieve Levi's death more fully, have coffee/lunch/dinner with multiple people and talk and talk, cook some of the best food ever (amazing what an american grocery store and my own kitchen do for my heart), and be with the best family and friends ever!!

Updates from the Middle East are coming slowly but surely over at the team blog - check them out.

And now, we're in Uganda! I'm loving it here so much! The rest of the team except for me and Stef is doing ministry in a village in South Sudan this week. I was supposed to go with them, but the morning they left, I started coming down with Malaria symptoms and decided it was probably best not to go. It really was the worst. Thanks to our faithful God, I'm feeling much better now! Speaking of awful illnesses, check out the UGLY eye infection I had a couple weeks ago! Good thing the hospital is super cheap here and that's all better now too!

Taj Mahal

It was so great to be able to go to the Taj Mahal over the weekend. The actual grave of the queen that's buried there is only open 3 days out of the year, and one of them was Saturday! Also, for some reason, if we went after 2 pm, it was free to get in, which was such a blessing since it usually costs about 15 dollars. The car ride there was closer to 6 hours than the 2 I had originally thought, but it was great to be able to get closer to some of the team.

Photo credit: Marielle Saayman

Also, there's a BIG surprise coming later on this week. Keep an eye out...

Because you've been photo deprived

Around our neighborhood

These kids are part of a ministry that helps kids living in the slums in Delhi. They are provided with a bath, meal, and education. More on this coming soon.

Ramesh, a church planter in Noida.

Dead electronics and homesickness

I know it's been far too long since I've written anything at all. So sorry. My laptop hasn't been working since before we left Thailand. Like, spinning-wheel-of-death, freeze-up-every-two-seconds, don't-let-Jill-do-anything kind of not working. It's absolutely horrible. I've been to the Apple store here a few times and upgraded my operating system and ram, but then they also said that my hard drive is failing and that they won't be able to fix that for me since the warranty is only good in America. So I'll be shipping it home to see if I can get a new one. On top of that, my camera just died. Completely died. This whole thing has been a nightmare and that's why there haven't been any posts. Please forgive me...

India has been so great. I'm working on creating a website for one of the YWAM bases here in Delhi, and it's been a huge project. There are so many aspects to their ministry and we're trying to simplify it all so that people will understand easily. But I'm really loving working on it and can't wait until it's all finished and beautiful. Check out the team blog for more information on what everybody else is working on. It's an exciting, busy time for us all.

As much as I'm loving it here, I'm missing home more than ever. Last weekend, I discovered that my sweet little nephew, Levi, passed away. The cord wrapped around his neck twice and he was killed at about 20 weeks. The Lord has been giving me and my family so much peace. He is always good and has a plan for everything that's happening. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for my whole family. You are more of a blessing than you will ever know. My sister's labor was short and relatively easy and she and her husband are dealing with it well. Please continue to keep them in your prayers. But even though the situation is really good, I'm so homesick. I want more than anything to just be with them. Skype just isn't cutting it right now. Still, the Lord is good and has a plan for my time here. I know he has called me to India for this time and will continue to show me why I'm here.

Thanks for your prayers. Sorry for the lack of pictures. Blame Apple. :)

India!

Sorry that it's been forever since my last post. My computer has some serious issues right now and needs to go to the apple hospital once I find one. But we've been in India for a few days now and we're loving it!! A few things you may not have known about India:

1. The national bird is the peacock. They are all over the place. And they sound like dying cats.

2. People put eyeliner on their babies. I can't decide if it's creepy or hilarious.

3. There are 21 million people in Delhi. More during the day. Let's just say the subway is CRAZY during rush hour.

4. I've never had so many people openly staring at me at the same time. Apparently they like blondes.

5. The kids in our neighborhood love having their photo taken. And they call us girls deedee. It's cute. Pictures coming soon.

6. We're all super excited about our pretty clothes. And I sort of want a sari but think it might be a bit impractical.

7. The food here is way better than I expected. And definitely not as spicy as I was thinking.

8. Jesus is going to do some crazy stuff here! Can't wait to see what it is. :)

Lahu Village

We've been working with this ministry and they've been setting us up with a ton of different opportunities to document different ministries in the area. On Thursday, five of us went up to one of the indigenous mountain tribes to see how they live and spend the night in the village. After a long, dusty ride in the back of a truck, we arrived at this beautiful little place.

Noina and Pastor showed us around and introduced us to many of the people living there.

When it started getting late, we hiked up a mountain to our hut. It was amazing to watch the sun set over the whole valley.

Here's our hut for the night:

Some of the village people brought dinner all the way up the mountain for us. The meal was made up of mostly things from around the area. Fish from the river, rice from their fields, and eggs from their chickens. We also pulled out some honeycomb from the hive that was attached to that hut. The honey was the best I've ever had. It tasted flowery and warm. Delicious. Then one of our guides, Noina, started eating the larva and encouraged us to as well. I wasn't even aware that people did that, but you know, when in Rome...

After dinner, the pastor took us frog-hunting in the river with a slingshot. We ate them for breakfast in the morning. The bones were a little weird to eat, but the rest of it was pretty yummy. It tasted like something between chicken and bacon. Here are the remnants:

I was so glad to have the opportunity to be with these people. It was an experience I'll never forget.

Weekend activities

Things I did this weekend:

Swam in a waterfall with the team.

Attended a traditional Thai wedding.

Ate a whole lot of food at said wedding.

Practiced the ancient Japanese art of Karaoke at the restaurant down the street.

Sat in an air-conditioned coffee shop and skyped the family.

Discovered that the set of triplet boys that work at the coffee shop are named one, two, and three. Literally.

Also, later tonight, we're going to the international church in Chiang Rai. Somehow I got talked into playing piano... We'll see how that goes.

Here are some kids in traditional attire at the wedding.

Beyond the Sea

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A selection of stories from my crazy missionary life.

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overdue updates and a malaria scare

Taj Mahal

Because you've been photo deprived

Dead electronics and homesickness

India!

Lahu Village

Weekend activities

Beyond the Sea

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