You have captured my heart.

The children of India have captured my heart.

After christmas we went out to walk around Coxtown and give out some food and things like that for christmas. And man the kids were cute :) Giving makes your heart so full of joy and love and it just is the coolest feeling ever, especially when you give to those who really are in need. The children that we gave some stuff too were the cutest kids in the world. Their smiles lite up the streets. Even though they don't have much they were still smiling and happy, glad to be given something. Although when we gave them something, the cheeky little monkeys hid the food under their clothes and asked for more. When we checked under there top, they smiled even bigger than before :)


The thing I'll miss the most more than anything, I definitely think will be all the kids that you meet, on the side of the road, where ever you go. They have captured my heart forever. Children everywhere capture my heart.
<3

Christmas in India.

Well Christmas is finally here, and it is my first christmas away from home. I skyped my family last night (midnight our time, 7.30am their time) and watched them open up gifts and I opened some of mine, was really fun.
When we woke up in the morning opened gifts with the Czepanski family and felt like just a normal christmas! Had a delicious roast chicken, beans, carrots and potatoes for lunch was yummy as.

So on this christmas day I have officially been here for 2months! It's crazy how fast time flies. I will be on a plane in 26 days! Headed back to Aotaeroa, back home.
Can't wait to get home, see friends, hangout, have heaps of sleepovers and everything. At the same time I will be sad to leave India, I have been here for 2 months and have grown attached to this beautiful country. But I know I will be back sometime in the future.

So next up is New Year's Eve and then it will be 2011 already! Wow. This past year has gone so fast. But its been an amazing year, filled with great memories.
Been filled with laughter with friends and memories that will stick forever. Tears that have been shed, but friends were always there. Prays answered. Met some amazing people this year aswell. People that have impacted my life and that I will never forget. And people that im glad to have met, and sad to have let go. Life moves on though. Can't wait to see whats instore next year.

:)

Dreams.

Learning to be happy with what I have, learning the difference between what I need and what I can live without. Learning not to complain. Learning not to gossip. Are all lessons that I am learning.

I love my life at the moment. I have amazing friends. A great family. Im living my dream of travelling and seeing the world and at the same time finding out who I am and drawing closer to God.

Dreams are precious things that live inside of us. Our passions inside of our dreams, God's wants us to work with our passions to pursue our dreams and live passionately for Him, giving Him glory for all the amazing stuff that happens in our lives.

I have huge dreams and smalls dreams, all which are possible with God. Learning to be patient, learning to listen. Dreams do come true.

Life is precious. Live it whole heartedly. Live it to the max.

I love New Zealand. I love Mangere it's so cultural and mixed and different. I love India aswell it is so colourful and different and amazing and loud and great.

My parents are finishing up their Eldership at Horizon Church. Im really excited for them and for what's instore for them, and for us as a family. I remember just before they started their eldership I had a dream, a dream that Tim and Xenia were going to ask them to be Elders, the next day they were asked. Shows that God can show us things at any ages, I was 11. I can't wait to see their dreams come true in the future.

 Dreams do come true.  

Halfway there.

6 weeks down. 6 weeks to go. Can't believe time has gone this fast. Im so happy to be going home soon, cause I miss all my family and friends and stuff. But at the same time I really really like India. After living here for 6 weeks it does feel like home. There is this one jewellrey shop down the road, and I do plan on buying the whole store out before I leave :)

A few of us are sick at the moment which is not cool at all. But its only a cold so hopefully it goes away soon. No-one wants to be sick!!

It doesn't really feel like its christmas soon to me, apart from the fact theres a billion presents under the christmas tree.

But aside from that, I really am having fun and I like Coxtown alot. Looking forward to going home. Seeing my sisters and brothers, parents and best friends :)

6weeks to go. Halfway there.

Weekend away.

Daya and I went with Ben and Vinu to Dharwad and Hubli. Twin cities 8 hours from Bangalore.

So first off was an 8hour train ride in the day. Was fun to start with, but after a few hours it did start to get boring. Its a good thing I had my camera, mp3 and a good book! Walking up and the down the train was lots of fun aswell, the staring never ceases. Standing on the edge of the train because the doors are wide open was also really fun, I didn't get to close to the edge though.

Arrived at Dharwad station at 10pm-ish, waited for the hotel people to pick us up and arrived at a very very nice hotel. Dharwad was really different to Bangalore, theres heaps of people, heaps more buses aswell! I really enjoyed it though.

We went to a school of music which was just out of Hubli, in a village. Driving through the village was an eye opener, this is India. The children are such gorgeous children, I love them. Women walking fetching water, carrying it on their heads, living in small hut-like houses. Makes you super grateful for what you have.

At the school it was so cool. The children all ran up to the car when we arrived saying 'Namaste' and asking our names, they were too cute. The school had a whole heap of huts and little houses. They learnt Indian instruments and music, and also did academic studies, its like all of the children were homeschooled. It was so cool. I absolutely loved it. Music and children are my passion, so sticking them both together like that was cool :)

The real experience was also taking a sleeper train back to Bangalore. There were these little booths all down the train. In each little booth there were 3 bunks on each side, and 2 across from the booth. It was actually really comfortable to sleep and it was quite fun. I really enjoyed it and would do it again anytime.

India has captured the other half of my heart (NZ will permanently own half :)

I love it.

Monkey buisness.

Well yesterday there were 2 monkeys in the house. I was doing Levi's schoolwork with him at the dining table. Caleb then runs in and says 'There's monkeys in the house!!!!' Didn't even look at them, grabbed Levi and we ran up the stairs. We went into Samara's room and locked the door and waited. Levi prayed for God to come and kill the monkeys :)
After a while Danielle came up asking if it was either Levi or Caleb who made the mess in the kitchen, we told her that there were monkeys in the house and she ran in and we locked the door again. After waiting for Jodi to check the house for any monkeys, she said they were all gone. So we went downstairs and the kitchen was a mess, potatos eaten, peppercorns opened, they took an egg and a papaya and left their mess. Daya had a bit of a scary ordeal, she was on top of the roof doing her schoolwork and the monkeys came up and cornered her, she pulled her blanket over her and they started poking her and hissing. I can only imagine how scary that would of been :)


I don't really like monkeys.

Time flies when your having fun.

Into my 5th week in India already, man time flies.

After church yesterday us girls went out again to do some shopping. I had fun fun fun. India is so fun to shop in and there are so many things I want to take home.
I saw these chuck taylors, which I plan on buying before I leave they were the coolest chucks I've ever seen in my whole entire life.

On Thursday Daya and I are going with Ben and Vinu to some place (I'll find the name out some time soon) for 2 nights which will be fun. It takes a 6 hour train ride I think. So that will be cool to experience.

Theres so much more to tell but most of it just goes straight into my diary :)

I love India so much, and definetly will be coming back one day.

Movie time.

Last night, me, Daya, Dani and Samara all went to go see Harry Potter and the deathly hallows, part 1. It was such a good movie actually.

We caught an Auto there, went in and brought our tickets, then we went and had a bite to eat at Mcdonalds.

After that we went into the building, had our bags checked and went through a metal detector. Went up the elevator to the 4th floor, had our bags checked again and went through another metal detector (how can you not feel safe? lol).

The girls brought 2 lots of cheese popcorn, and guaranteed me that I would love it. It was absolutely gross. So instead I stuck to some caramel popcorn which was really nice.
Walked into the movies, and it felt just like walking into Hoyts at slyvia.
Big screen, lots of room, the chairs recline a bit, very very clean and nice.
There was even an intermisson halfway during the movie, incase you needed to use the bathroom or buy more food.

After the movie finishes you walk out a totally different do then you entered in with and walk down a whole bunch of stairs, which is exactly what happened when I saw a movie in Malaysia once.
The movie finished at 6:20pm and it was dark outside, in Nz is doesnt get that dark until like 8 or 9ish :)

Caught an Auto back, talking about how good the movie was on the way back. Was a cool experience and look forward to doing it again.

What's going on.

On Friday last week, me and Daya went to the Bangalore Palace (sadly you had to pay to take photos, so I can't show you).

It was quite an experience, when you paid you were given a little audio player and headphones, and as you moved around the palace there were numbers, and you could just press on the numbers and listen to the history behind such a beautiful building.

You could see pictures of the kings and their families, there were even some stools made out of elephants hooves (which isn't that nice, but still cool to see). Rooms where the king had his clothes mad, courtyards, and there was much more, but I am having a mind blank at the moment.

Also while we were there they were setting up for a wedding, and my oh my by the looks of it, its going to be HUGE! It was sooooo pretty and there were lights everywhere, chairs getting decorated, flowers hanging from the ceiling, just beautiful :D


 So that's some of what I've been up to.

The church that we went to on Sunday is a very multi-cultural church, which I think is so cool. There were Africans, Indian (of course), Chinese, European, Australian. Was very very cool. The church itself reminded me of Horizon back in the days, but I liked it, was nice.

So I am enjoying India alot, its really nice and definitely different, the food is yummy as, still getting used to the spiciness of it all though. The kids are the cutest darn things you have ever seen haha. I met one little boy on sunday, Paul Junior, and according to him he is the strongest 4 year old ever! He even showed me his muscles :D aren't I lucky lol. He followed me around telling me lots of stories and showing me tricks and whatnot, definitely a little friend I won't forget.

So that's all for now, thought I better update you all (mum, haha) on what I've up to and what not. :D

20 random things.

1) My favorite color is purple. Royalty and destiny.
2) I have a collection of movie tickets.

3) I have 2 brothers and 2 sisters and love them heaps.

4) If I could live anywhere it would either be on a beach or in Wellsford.
5) I'm only a quarter Maori, but I tell people im half :)
6) I went to China, Malaysia and Mongolia when I was 12.
7) I own 20 rings, 200 bracelets, 20 pairs of earrings, and 30 necklaces.
8) I have the best friends in the world.
    *Kelsi
    *Chai

9) I have the best family in the world, 25 cousins on one side, hundreds on the other (can you guess which side is the Maori side, haha)
10) I am utterly and totally in love with God.
11) All my embarrassing moments involve me walking into a door, or falling over in a store.
12) My biggest fears are possums, pray mantis and cows.
13) I hate planes.
14) I have the best parents and grandparents in the world.
15) I'm currently about 5ft4 and have stopped growing. And my 12yr old sister is taller than me.
16) I once read 12 books in 10 days.
17) Realized the other day in 1year and a half years I will be 18. The world should slow down a bit.
18) When I was little I wanted to be a dancer. Now I don't have a single clue what I want to do.
19) I like watching rugby.
20) I love music. I love playing piano. I like the guitar. My radio is on 24/7. My cd's are in both cars, and in all our stereos. I love love love music.

Nose piercing.

Got my nose pierced the other night. Caught an Auto into Commercial Street, then walked down an alley way following a sign that said 'piercings'. Walked in, got asked whether you wanted it pierced manually or with a gun. Chose manually, seeing as it was more traditional, and more of an experience. First he sprayed some anesthetic to numb some of the pain. Then he got out this needle thing, and put it on this plate and blew the fire onto it to heat it up till it was hot red to sterilize it. 

After that, and after he drew the spot on my nose where it was going to go, he got the needle and shoved it through (not as painful as it sounds).

Im not going to lie, it hurt, quite a bit, but it wasn't a tear drenching, screaming kind of pain. After the needle was through it looked a bit like this.

Yup that's definitely a keeper :)

After that the pain was gone, didn't feel a thing. Next he got the bottom piece of the piercing (which goes in your nose) and put that in my nose and pushed it up through the hole with the help of tweezers.

Got the top piece of the piercing, screwed it in, and voila, it was complete :)

Getting a nose piercing in India, check :)

But of course Jodi and Samara also got their nose's pierced which look so cool, Sam was very brave, she went first brave brave brave, and it looks beautiful. Jodi's also looks beautiful, and of course she's brave too ;)

Here are all the photos :)

Emotions, emotions.

Was a bit sick yesterday, and passed out while I was walking and hit a door. Ouch.
Also homesickness is kicking in. But knew that was coming.

Tonight we are doing some firecrackers! They are super super loud, have been going off all day.

Enjoying everybit of being in a different country, while at the same time dreaming of home.

Might be going to an Indian wedding on the weekend, so will get to go and buy an indian outfit which will be fun.

Emotions are everywhere. Teary. Happy. Sad. Confident. Scared.

Still loving India though :D

India

Well, here I am finally. Took months of preparing, and months of saving. But im finally here. I arrived on Saturday night (India time) so about 6am Sunday morning. The flight was SO long and was boring at times, but they had some good movies on :)

I really like it here, its different and such an eye opening. So appreciate everything I have back home. Even though it is so different I like it, and won't complain. I admit the food is a bit spicy, but still nice, and I guess I will get used to it.

I got to dress up the other night to go to a baby naming ceremony which was quick cool. Can't wait till I buy my own indian outfit, that will be fun.

Anyways, I am really enjoying it here, miss everyone though, but I am having a great experience.

Adventure time.

Well after all these months of planning, the date is finally arriving in less than 4 days. My passport and visa arrived today (cutting it close right). Everything is sorted. Bag is packed (nearly). Who knew packing could be so tiring. Turns out stuff I need now, is right at the bottom of it. Lets just hope I leave nothing important behind :D

I can't wait, its going to be a lifechanging experience. Can't really remember what inside an airport is like. Last time was 3 years ago. I remember that I don't like taking off though, landing is algood.

So 11 hours on one flight, a quick 1hour stop over, jump on another plane for 5 hours and then BAM there I will be, in India. For 3 whole months, (or 84 days to be exact). 

God has opened a door. So I plan to run through it, why keep Him waiting? He has something great instore in these next 3 months. It just takes some listening and paying attention to Him and the Holy Spirit and what He is saying. 

'Show me how I should live this
Show me where I should walk
I count this world as loss to me
You are all I want
You are all I want' - Brooke Fraser, Faithful.

Friends

I have the most amazing friends in the whole entire world.
Was nearly *nearly* in tears from the amazingly nice stuff they all said last night at the girls sleepover (also a farewell thingy). Really touched me. I am so blessed to have such amazing friends. I love you all! I hope we stay friends forever and ever and ever.

Mixed emotions.

Well as my departure date gets closer and closer i'm filled with mixed emotions. Excitement, Fear, Joy, Sadness, Nervousness, Confidence. I am so excited to go to India its crazy!! Its going to be sad not seeing my family and friends for ages, but thank goodness for the Internet and Telephones :) haha. Its only 3 months I can handle that. The Czepanskis are my family anyways, so no need to worry.

Biggest thing im worried about at the moment is being on a plane for 11 hours straight. I hate sitting still. Lets hope there are some good movies on the plane to keep me occupied. And then theres a nearly 2 hour stop over, then i jump on another plane for 5 or 6 hours more. And then I will be in the beautiful land of India.

Can't wait to experience different sounds, different smells, different tastes and meet different people. Thank you God for opening the door for me to go on this adventure, you have provided and i am utterly thankful. I love you with all my heart. I am looking forward to the next 3 months in my life with a brand new mindset, brand new eyes, and brand new ears.

Burning Ones.

We are Your burning ones, We are consumed by You. We set our lives apart. We are consumed by You.

Let this love be like a fire.
Let our life be like a flame.
Fill our souls with Your desire.
Let our passion bring You fame.

You are my hearts desires. All I want is You.

I am entirely and utterly in love with You. I never want to turn back. I'm so hungry for more of You. Everything that mattered before is so insignificant. You are all I need. I want to follow You with all I have. We have such an amazing inheritance to step into. Our love for You burns, it burns our hearts. You are all that satisfies us fully. In everything we do, we will give Your glory. Fire. Glory. Love. Where ever we go as long as we are fulled with You and Your fire, we are untouchable. We are Your burning ones. We live for You.

6 weeks to go.

6 weeks to go. This is crazy. A few months ago I would never have guessed I would be leaving this soon. I'm so excited and at the same time nervous. But I am looking forward to this new adventure and can't wait to see whats instore. A nose piercing, thats one thing I know of, unless of course I chicken out. Hopefully I don't though. Wow! Can't wait at all. I've been super blessed with people giving me money for my trip and I'm so grateful to them. Obviously God wants me to go haha cause the doors are swinging open. Im going to miss my family and friends though, but its only for 3 months so its not like im never going to see them again.

Isaiah 40: 28-31

Isaiah 40: 28-31

Do you not know?
Have you not heard?
 
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.

He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.

Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.

They will soar like eagles;
they will run and not grow weary,
they will walk and not be faint.

I know you are real.

How do I know you care?
How do I know you see?
How do I know you hear?
How do I know you are near?
How do I know you are real?

I reached up to you when I was down.
You grabbed my hand, pulled me up above the world, above my worries.

I know that you care.

A million tears have fallen down these cheeks.
You caught each one and comforted me.

I know that you see.

Prayers whispered into the dead of  night.
You heard them all and whispered softly back 'Its all going to be okay'

I know that you hear.

When all around me I felt alone.
You were right beside me, filling me with your everlasting presence.

I know that you are near.

Theres a hole in my heart like a missing puzzle piece.
Nothing of this world will fit perfectly.

You stooped down low to sit me on your lap.
You stood up high so I could reach the sky.

I know in my heart you are real.

You are the perfect fit to my missing piece.

I know you are real.

I choose to trust.
I choose to have faith.
I choose to love you.
I choose to have hope.
I choose to believe.

Living the dream.

Well thought i would start a blog. Haha, what a weird word blog. Anyways here I am. Like the title says, im living my dream. Which of course is following God with a great fire and travelling. I guess you could say I caught the travelling bug when I went to Asia in 2007. I loved it so much, and still plan on going back to Mongolia one day. But going to India by myself at 16, wow, its going to be great. And to see my 'family' is going to be awesome.

When I orginally said I wanted to go to India to visit the Czepanskis I believed it would happen, I just didn't believe it would happen this fast. I have been saving this whole year and have been extremely blessed beyond my imagination. Everything has been paid for, and all that is left is my spending money, and knowing me I shall do alot of spending. I am so excited for what is instore.

Im in love with God. I love Him with everything I am. I have never felt like this before, I literally feel on fire. Its amazing.