Mad Maudlin goes on dirty toes, for to save her shoes from gravel.

  These cookies are magical and they get me in a Christmas-y mood. :)

I got this picture off of this equally magical blog.

This is a wonderfully catchy song ------------> Mad Tom of Bedlam

And in other news........

   Our house has been almost fully decorated for Christmas. The tree and the stockings are up, and there are other little decorations throughout the house. :) 'Tis a wonderful thing. All that is left is for me to put up the Christmas lights outside, which I keep completely forgetting to do. 

   I've been seriously considering something for the past couple of weeks, and I figure here is as good a place as any to bring it up. I've been considering whether or not to get a space heater surgically put into my body. It'd have batteries so that I wouldn't have to be constantly searching for an outlet. And it would mean I would no longer have to suffer from the cold. I've tried to keep warm in a myriad of other ways, and I'm afraid that this is the only way to keep my toes from developing frostbite.

Anywho......... that's all for now.

I would like to find a whymsical tree house that only I know about.

Ode To My Mother's Home-Made Gluten-Free Stuffing

  Happy Belated Thanksgiving y'all! Yesterday we had several people and their children over for Thanksgiving dinner and it was to much fun. My mom made stuffing that was AMAZING. And considering the fact that it was the first time she has ever made gluten-free or home made stuffing.........she deserves mad props to say the least. I would also like to mention the fabulous no-bake cookies she made and thank her for them. :D Oh, and by the way, you can say what you want, but no one pulls out a Thanksgiving dinner as awesomely and tasty as my mother, Petra Carden.

 

  

    Well that's all for now folks....

Still Sleepy, Still Know That It's Not My Strength

  I am very sleepy. And now on to more important things than my complaining...........

  I would like to write that there's is no way at all that I would have been able to last throughout this past week on my own strength. God definitely was working.........and seriously, like no way at all in a thousand years. It's been that busy and energy consuming. But it has been worth every ounce of strength..that was not my own.

  Yesterday morning I helped Carmen, from Ecuador, study for her citizenship test. I was also able to talk to two other people who are also trying to pass the (absolutely ridiculous) test. The supervisor who was there to answer questions, hand out materials and the likes, had also (recently maybe?) been naturalized. Let me just say, that after hearing all of their stories and the stories of others who had been through the citizenship class, that the process for becoming a citizen is even more corrupt, unfair, and unpredictable than all my preconceived notions had even imagined. (on a side note: I would like to please ask that nobody contend with me on this. I know we all have our "opinions", but I would really rather not have to feel depressed, annoyed and frustrated after having to read the before mentioned "opinions". Especially after talking to people who have actually been through or are currently going through this process.) But anyway. Carmen and I exchanged phone numbers and she will call me after she takes the test to tell me whether or not she passed. Please be praying that she does, she is the sweetest woman and knows more than I do about the process of government in this country, but that does not guarantee her citizenship.

  In the next room was a computer class, and Kalsang (who I mentioned before, but spelled her name wrong) was there!. I talked to her for a little bit. And the day before when we had been talking in the Bible class, I found out that she didn't know what a Bible was. She had never seen one, or heard of one. She thought that the stories that were being told in the class were true, but she didn't know where they came from. I gave her a New Testament and showed here the different stories that she knew and that they had all come from this book. She was really excited about it, she didn't have any books in English to practice reading and she had no idea that all that she had been learning came from this one book. (the reason for this being linguistic. Her English is still coming along.) I wrote my e-mail address on the inside of it for her so that we could stay in contact. Please be praying for her as well.

 Well I have to go now, but everyone, please continue to pray for what is happening here and I will give more happenings and stories later.

Brain..is.....shutt.ing........down......

  My brain is dead at the moment. I would love to blog right now and share all that has happened, but I am incapabale of doing so at the moment.One of the subways was closed for construction and that altered our route to the point where instead of spending an hour and a half on one train, we spent a little over two hours on several different trains. I am exhausted and praying for some energy for later, once that happens, then I will blog..............unless I find myself doing something else. :D

Details (bulleted)

> I like the subway. It's relaxing and it's crazy fun to people watch. I don't why, but it just is.

> Yesterday we helped Urban Impact with their free English classes. One in the morning and a bible study English class at night. I was able to get to know two of the women who take these classes. Kellsung (sp?), who is from Tibet, and Miriam, who is from Guatemala. They were both so sweet and we had a ton of fun being silly and trying to understand each other. Miriam's been taking these English classes for about a month, but she's been in the U.S. since '93. (Which is my birth year :) .) Kellsung's been taking the classes off and on for about year, but I'm not sure when she moved here. Kellsung was in the morning and evening class, and I met Miriam in the evening Bible study class.

> The Hindus worship many many many many many......many "gods". It's really sad. And they do it mostly out of fear that they'll be destroyed if they don't.

> I don't understand why they're so many people who go on and on about how rude new yorkers are. I mean I'm sure that they're are those here who are rude, (just like every other place in the entire world), but on a whole, I just don't see it.

> There is a beach in New York.

> I am not a huge fan of cold beaches.

> Pastor Josh spilled water all over himself on the subway.

> I've been having an amazing time, and would really like to come back up here in the summer to do some more work. If at all possible.

> I would love it if everyone would continue praying. :D

I Know It's Friday.....

I know it's Friday and I didn't do a post about yesterday, but it is coming. We're about to start our day and head out, so I just have a little time to do a brief synopsis of what we did yesterday. Hopefully I will end up having the time today to update the blog about yesterday in detail, as well as today.

Brief Summary: 

   Yesterday we took the subway up to Queens (about an hour long ride). Went to go teach English. Went on a prayer walk, which included a Hindu Emporium. (we were in a place nicknamed "little India", more details later). We did some office type work to help out the ministry here. Then got dinner and  helped with the evening ESL class, then left at around 9 pm? I wanna say.

  Today I know we're are going to end up doing more construction oriented work and possibly visiting with an Indian pastor, but I'm not sure of all the details. I'll share more later.

  And please continue praying. God's been listening and we watched him bless what was done yesterday and it was amazing.