I have a bunch of random thoughts running through my mind right now, aching to be put down. I’ve been told that random conversations, etc., are something that females do a lot.  And so if there was ever any doubt in that department, I shall proceed to remove that by being very random in this post.  :)  I trust you’ll be able to follow…somehow.

This morning, I was kind of in a “funk”…I didn’t feel like walking, so I didn’t.  (It would have been a beautiful morning to.)  Shamefully, I didn’t even feel like reading my Bible.  But I picked it up anyway and began to read where I’d left off – 1 John 3.  The first words of the chapter leaped off the page at me: “BEHOLD, WHAT MANNER OF LOVE THE FATHER HATH BESTOWED UPON US.”  Man, I just sat there and thought about that for a while.  John is saying, “Look at this love that the Father has given us!”  And so I did.  I never got past the first three verses, and again I’m left speechless in the face of His love for me.

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There’s something incredibly heart-warming about your favorite two-year-old calling out across the classroom, “Bye bye, Rachel” when he’s about to leave with his dad.  :)

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A shocked “tribal woman” to three single girls: Your mothers let you come all the way over here without a husband?

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It’s so hard to believe that only a week ago the temperatures were below 0°.  It got up to 73° yesterday and before classes today it was already 57°.  Just for perspective, in one week, the temperature ranged from more than 40° below freezing to more than 40° above freezing - all during the daytime.  Yes, the sun has conquered most of the snow.  What remains to be conquered is the mud.  That will come with time, although the magical combination of sun and wind is already at work.  Hurray!

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State of the house: tolerable mess.  That will have to change, though, because we’re having company tonight.  An awesome staff couple – the kind you just feel incredibly privileged to know.  It will be great!

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Yesterday, I got a hand-written letter from a dear older couple in Jefferson City (where I went to church last year).  Mail is so fun!

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I’ve been known to have a problem leaving out words in a sentence.  Apparently I do that not only when I write, but also when I talk.  While we were cleaning, Michelle asked me who a certain person standing outside was.  I replied quickly, “Oh, that’s my roommate’s fiancé’s roommate.”  At least that’s what I thought I said.  I couldn’t figure out why Michelle was looking at me funny until she said, “Rachel, you realize that you said your fiancé’s roommate?”  “No, no, no! I  meant my roommate’s fiancé’s roommate!”  She wouldn’t let me forget it.  Moral of the story: make sure your brain is fully engaged before you open your mouth to speak (no pun intended, honestly – I started to write this and realized the double meaning, but decided the irony was rather humorous).

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Imagine you’re with several friends/fellow missionaries and you go visiting in a village.  Your hostess offers you a bottle of obviously dirty water (i.e. bits of bark floating around in it) and won’t take “no” for an answer, even though you try every possible polite excuse you can think of.  Finally, one of your braver teammates asks, “May I have some?”  The bottle is passed to her, and she takes a gulp.  Then your hostess passes the water to the pregnant lady on your team, and you cringe for her.  And then the bottle is thrust into your own hands.  With effort, you temporarily squash everything you know about germs and cross-contamination, lift the bottle to your lips, and take a sip before it is shared among the remaining members of your team.  What would YOU do???

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And finally…



Introducing the newest fixture in my kitchen. Isn’t it a beauty?

Happy Thursday!