1. Move to Tenali, Andhra Pradesh (or come visit me)
2. Purchase Chicken 65 and Naan (butter or garlic, I personally love garlic on just about anything) from Vijay's restaurant in Tenali (Suresh Kumar , Revi or Danny can help you with this) and refrigerate over night
3. Purchase butter and american cheese (you will probably need to go to Best Price in Vijayawada)
4. Crisp up one side of the naan using a frying pan and the butter
5. Flip the naan, fold it in half and stuff with as much chopped chicken 65 and american cheese as desired
6. Flip your quesadilla at least one more time and enjoy!
I hardly ever eat american cheese back in the states, but it is an absolute blessing to have here--- two words "grilled cheese!!!" Totally worth the gluten baby I get post-consumption! 100% :) Like most Americans, my Christmas season is generally filled with tons of food-- cookies and candy from friends at Chili's, snacks while endlessly rehearsing for RH services (I especially miss this), Christmas parties with friends and families-- so it only feels natural to discuss food.... If I were back in the states right now, I would start off with a Pumpkin latte (usually I would go to Starbucks for this, but now I'm kind of partial to Gypsy Den), eventually progress my day into either a steak or sushi, and finish it off with a decaf mocha or hot chocolate at the beach or a park (basically anywhere outside where there are no mosquitoes). Yyyyyep.
Christmas is popping up all over Tenali and it is so beautiful. The Christians out here hang stars in celebration of our dear Lords birth. I saw the first star a week ago or so on our way to teach at KSK college. Our 45 minute drive to KSK which once felt daunting is now filled with lights and sporadic reminders that God is on the move in India. Literally every star brings a smile to my face. I love Christmas. Kind of funny that even though we may have been the only ones in Andhra Pradesh to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Christmas lights still went up the following week! Just a sweet little taste of home. Our star of lights just went up yesterday :) Thank you Ramaraj and Suresh! It means more to me than you know.
While skyping with my mentor Tracey and my bell Michelle, I was surprised by tears of longing for my family and friends back home. I miss you! Christmas is going to be different this year. While at times this "different" is going to be hard, God opened up my heart and mind to remember that different doesn't always come with a negative connotation. Yes I have friends and family back in the states that I would love to hug and say "Merry Christmas" to, but I also have a new family and new friends to create new memories with here. My heart isn't limited to a SoCal Christmas. Christ still broke into world as an infant, and that is worth celebrating regardless of where life is or takes us! The meaning behind Christmas stands the same, the celebrations will just look a little different. I'm excited to celebrate the birth of Christ here in India surrounded by new friends and family. I expect that it will be more of this dichotomy that I live in, well I guess that we all sort of live in in one form or another. Looking back and missing pieces of the past, yet excitingly and expectantly awaiting what is to come. For me, the "past" is friends, family, traditions, independence, etc., and naturally, the future is taking the beauty in India and watching and experiencing God in the midst of it.
I know I said this back at home as well, but I keep having moments where God so sweetly reminds me how much he cares with just a few simple words. I'm not going to go into a giant description of my junk, so I will bring you into my story mid-chapter. India has ignited some pressures that life tends to fan into exhaustion here. The worst part is that this pressure comes from within me. It's not any other person here is speaking into it; yet, all the same, it's exacerbated. Anyways, I came to place where I literally said, whether out loud or just to myself, "It's not worth it." Immediately, God responded with "But I'm worth it."---- Aaarrrgh! He won again :) Of course He is. Immediately following, Ephesians 5 came to mind. Once again, God is good and I am in awe of just how BIG He is. I fail to understand how He can be so intimately concerned with my thoughts and still have time for the rest of the world. I'm just going to have to settle into knowing that I will never be able to fathom it, nor do I need to :)
May God bless all of you in the States! Please continue to pray for India!
2. Purchase Chicken 65 and Naan (butter or garlic, I personally love garlic on just about anything) from Vijay's restaurant in Tenali (Suresh Kumar , Revi or Danny can help you with this) and refrigerate over night
3. Purchase butter and american cheese (you will probably need to go to Best Price in Vijayawada)
4. Crisp up one side of the naan using a frying pan and the butter
5. Flip the naan, fold it in half and stuff with as much chopped chicken 65 and american cheese as desired
6. Flip your quesadilla at least one more time and enjoy!
I hardly ever eat american cheese back in the states, but it is an absolute blessing to have here--- two words "grilled cheese!!!" Totally worth the gluten baby I get post-consumption! 100% :) Like most Americans, my Christmas season is generally filled with tons of food-- cookies and candy from friends at Chili's, snacks while endlessly rehearsing for RH services (I especially miss this), Christmas parties with friends and families-- so it only feels natural to discuss food.... If I were back in the states right now, I would start off with a Pumpkin latte (usually I would go to Starbucks for this, but now I'm kind of partial to Gypsy Den), eventually progress my day into either a steak or sushi, and finish it off with a decaf mocha or hot chocolate at the beach or a park (basically anywhere outside where there are no mosquitoes). Yyyyyep.
Christmas is popping up all over Tenali and it is so beautiful. The Christians out here hang stars in celebration of our dear Lords birth. I saw the first star a week ago or so on our way to teach at KSK college. Our 45 minute drive to KSK which once felt daunting is now filled with lights and sporadic reminders that God is on the move in India. Literally every star brings a smile to my face. I love Christmas. Kind of funny that even though we may have been the only ones in Andhra Pradesh to celebrate Thanksgiving, the Christmas lights still went up the following week! Just a sweet little taste of home. Our star of lights just went up yesterday :) Thank you Ramaraj and Suresh! It means more to me than you know.
While skyping with my mentor Tracey and my bell Michelle, I was surprised by tears of longing for my family and friends back home. I miss you! Christmas is going to be different this year. While at times this "different" is going to be hard, God opened up my heart and mind to remember that different doesn't always come with a negative connotation. Yes I have friends and family back in the states that I would love to hug and say "Merry Christmas" to, but I also have a new family and new friends to create new memories with here. My heart isn't limited to a SoCal Christmas. Christ still broke into world as an infant, and that is worth celebrating regardless of where life is or takes us! The meaning behind Christmas stands the same, the celebrations will just look a little different. I'm excited to celebrate the birth of Christ here in India surrounded by new friends and family. I expect that it will be more of this dichotomy that I live in, well I guess that we all sort of live in in one form or another. Looking back and missing pieces of the past, yet excitingly and expectantly awaiting what is to come. For me, the "past" is friends, family, traditions, independence, etc., and naturally, the future is taking the beauty in India and watching and experiencing God in the midst of it.
I know I said this back at home as well, but I keep having moments where God so sweetly reminds me how much he cares with just a few simple words. I'm not going to go into a giant description of my junk, so I will bring you into my story mid-chapter. India has ignited some pressures that life tends to fan into exhaustion here. The worst part is that this pressure comes from within me. It's not any other person here is speaking into it; yet, all the same, it's exacerbated. Anyways, I came to place where I literally said, whether out loud or just to myself, "It's not worth it." Immediately, God responded with "But I'm worth it."---- Aaarrrgh! He won again :) Of course He is. Immediately following, Ephesians 5 came to mind. Once again, God is good and I am in awe of just how BIG He is. I fail to understand how He can be so intimately concerned with my thoughts and still have time for the rest of the world. I'm just going to have to settle into knowing that I will never be able to fathom it, nor do I need to :)
May God bless all of you in the States! Please continue to pray for India!
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