oh hey baby, we aren't in Kansas (California) anymore

 so yeah, as you all know we live in asia now.

and with that comes a few wee differences...

oh wait, by wee I mean HUGE.

minor details, right?

Today for instance, I was standing in the cereal isle of a pretty large department store in Kathmandu.

Probably one of the nicest and biggest in the city,

it was like 3 stories high and judging from the fact that the cereal isle had like 100 different types of cornflake options, I felt like it must be pretty legit.

I was just about to read the ingredients on an oatmeal box when....

THE ELECTRICITY WENT OUT!

in a grocery store. with like 200 people. and frozen meat that was no longer being frozen.

?

my first instinct was to yell Kevin's name. which I did.

i'm not going to lie, I was kinda freaked out in a cereal isle of a grocery store in the dark.

give me a break, when's the last time that's happened to you?

ok. now you see my point.

In the 2 minutes it took the lights to come back on,

I had pulled out my measly cell phone so I could see a dang thing,

frantically ran kevin over in my attempt to find him,

and then giggled hysterically at the ridiculousness of the situation.

The moral of the story is...

1) i'm evidently still afraid of the dark and

2) i'm obviously living in another country. 

speaking of other awkward moments so far, nepal has relegated Kevin to a small little nook on our bed.  how is that you ask?

well, to begin, I think the idea of "comfort" is pretty lacking here. 

Why call it a mattress if it feels like you slapped a thin pillow case over a board and called it good? 

The first few mornings I woke up I seriously felt like I had just carted 50 pound of bricks on my back up a hill...I was sore, to say the least. 

 Sweet Kevin found an extra "mattress" in a little storage room in our apartment, and put it on top of our existing "mattress". The only problem is that the new mattress only covers 3/4 of the bed, so Kevin falls into the little 1/4 crack every night to sleep. I secretly snapped this picture of him asleep in his cubby, haha. 

Poor guy, however he promises he doesn't mind. 

Husband points!! 

in other electricity news...

we are getting used to being pioneers and using candles to see what the heck we are doing.  

The first night we slept in our own apartment, the lights went off as we sat down to dinner. 

I thought..."ahhhh, this is so fun! we get to eat by candlelight....how romantic!". 

The second night it happened, it still seemed a tad romantic other than the fact that I could hardly see Kevin or what I was eating. 

The third night, it was just plain tedious. 

It's hard to cook, eat, and get ready for dinner by the light of 2 measly little candles (which is all we had! haha). We've since bought a few more candles, and some friends gave us some lanterns. But, it's still adventurous, so i'm not complaining:)

lastly, we had our first language training today. 

I cried. 

yup, and it was really embarrassing. 

my mind goes blank when i'm asked a question in another language. 

I at least learned that much today. 

sweet Kevin, who is brilliant at languages and is practically fluent after one day, was so precious in encouraging me. 

I think our tutor thinks i'm nut-so. 

so if you think to pray for me in language learning, well, i'd LOVE that:) 

hehe

{me right after I was crying...but don't worry, Kevin then caught me with a smile...}

for all the giggles this new place brings, it has also ushered in a most beautiful community. 

we've only been here a week, and yet we feel a part of people's lives already. 

this is divine, and we praise jesus for kingdom people. 

yesterday we got together with a group and prayed for women being trafficked all around Nepal. 

it was powerful. 

and I felt like I was a part of something bigger than myself. 

oh yes...

to be fully alive is to be fully aware that there is something 

so much deeper and higher and lovelier to spend our lives on than just ourself.  

have a great Wednesday lovelies! 

love Katie

the holiness of remembering

today one sweet darling in the home had her birthday. 

the minute I stepped foot through the door this afternoon, she could not contain her excitement about the party later that day.  

we did a happy dance together. 

one of the staff members was teaching her how to make a birthday cake,

frosting a double layer of chocolate and funfetti. 

We wrote her name on the cake, and put hershey kisses on it to add a little something special. 

evidently sprinkles are a little too advanced for this country.  

Kevin and I found a party hat at a local grocery store,

and made her wear it. 

she could not stop giggling as we fitted it on her head. 

Everyone that came to the party brought a gift, 

and the table was soon piled high with bright colored wrapping. 

to began the party

we all laid hands on her and prayed. 

she blew out her candles,

and we played games and danced. 

the girls taught me a nepali dance. 

i was amazing horrible. 

but I guess I shouldn't have expected my dancing skills to have magically increased on new soil. 

wishful thinking. dang it. 

at the end of the party, 

when stomachs were loaded with cake and we were all smiles from the games, 

the birthday girl turned serious. 

she thanked everyone for coming, 

and with tears in her eyes,

told us that this was the first birthday party she had ever had. 

ever. 

her thanksgiving genuine and real. 

her joy palpable in the air. 

and in that moment, as I stared at her joy and gratitude,

a truth severed me deep.

And it was this:

The act of remembering is divine and holy. 

When we remember others, 

and celebrate them in that remembrance, 

we allow them the space to feel truly alive and cared for. 

Abundant life begins with the fact that we've been remembered ourselves,

as the greatest act of remembrance was on that cross, when Jesus remembered you and me.

As the nails dug deeper and the pain was unbearable, He remembered his love for us,

and it was all worth it. 

and as Abba remembered us, we LIVE. 

alive and true. 

it's funny how little acts of remembrance, like a birthday party, remind others how much they are valued and cared for. 

today certainly was a catalyst for wanting to remember and celebrate those I love,

because that is a holy 

and lovely 

and life-giving thing to do. 

I hope you know you are remembered today dear one,

love Katie

**as a disclaimer, I wish I could show you all the beautiful faces of these girls. They would bless your socks off. However, for security reasons and out of respect for them, I won't be posting any direct pictures of them...mostly just feet and hands, etc. But even then, I think you can just sense their radiance! 

hello nepal

well, we are here. 

and truly, I could not be happier. 

You know when God has given you a dream, 

and then you're in it,

you want to keep pinching yourself to make sure it's even real. 

In my case I pinch Kevin, and we smile and shake our heads and whisper praise to the one who orchestrated all of this. 

and i've loved every second of it. 

It's probably one of the dirtiest and dustiest and crowded places i've ever lived,

{like no joke I think I already have the black lung}

but honestly, I love it. 

I can't quite put my finger on it, except to say that when Abba calls you, it just feels right. 

heavenly blood pumping through your veins that energizes and refreshes and slowly churns what your heart already knows...."i was made for this". 

we were made for this. 

to HEAR

and LISTEN

and GO

with such abandon that nothing holds us back. 

that's what it means to be ALIVE. 

I don't know if i'll be any good at what i'm supposed to do,

but I know God will be,

so i'm holding on to that truth. 

like really, holding on. 

this place is so different,

sooooo different. 

but i'm thinking that maybe in a place of change, Abba will make me different too. 

cause I desperately want this time and this place to transform me. 

because my heart needs some cleaning, just like this city! 

I met the girls in the home,

and my heart melted. 

like butter. 

I wanted to grab tight and never ever let go. 

Man, my heart may have just poured out of my chest. 

you guys, they are precious. 

precious image bearers of the king. 

i'm tearing up just thinking about the sweetness they exude. 

I cannot wait to spend more time with them. 

I wanted to thank all of you readers for the emails and comments you have left me. Seriously, when I landed in Nepal and opened my email, SOOO many of you poured love out on to me. And I cried, because to know I have that much prayer overwhelms me in the most beautiful way possible. 

so thank you. 

here are a few pictures around our home. i'm excited to post more when I can get out to explore! 

love Katie