A Woman

Do you know what I mean by the joy of having the loveliness of another woman in your life?  I long for this always.  I think more than the average woman -I really enjoy the company of other woman, and femininity in general.  Always - since I can remember I was playing with dolls as if I was a mother, and sitting and listening to my mom and all her friends, and cared for by so many woman as if I were their daughter.  

I am so thankful for this - and I know it must be a part of the thread of who God made me to be.  In every season of my life it seems the Lord provides an older woman for me to connect with.  

Let me tell you about Annette,

Annette Faser - Is the Mother/ Wife of the family that takes care of the guest house that I am staying at here in India for the duration of my time (The Farley Guest House).  

As I have told you about Farley, and what a resting place it is; Annette and the Faser family are a big part of that.

When I walked into the house - Annette greeted me with a loud! high pitched German hello!  Loud and expressive she is, but not a rude bone in her body.  She is one of the most joyful, full of life women; and in such a unique way.  I am a million times thankful for her!!  How she should be celebrated as she celebrates and prefers everyone, I mean everyone, she encounters!  

She is just as considerate towards her 5 children (Ages 7-16).  It is beautiful - how her husband David and her do a wonderful job raising their children on the mission field; and of course they are just children all the same- laughing, crying, getting into fights, playing all day, etc. Ha ha! I love this!

Today was her birthday - and she invited many of her friends to come and share a cup of tea with her and a piece of homemade cake.  She invited me and the 2 other volunteer girls for tea and cake as well. What a woman!  And indeed she did take time to sit down with us and share her birthday!  What a pleasure!

We gave her these flowers for her birthday today - Bright and beautiful  - Perfect!

I really am encouraged to have Annette in my life this year - and am so thankful to the Lord for placing me right here in her home.  How strategic!

I just wanted to share this - because I know how much it blesses my heart to have a woman to share life with, and to express how thankful I am to the Lord for blessing me so in this season.  

Two women, sharing together, have the ability to nurture, celebrate, love, and really Breathe Life - into each other.  We hold the ability to breathe life into the soul, enabling each other to be who we are created to be at the core, to have the energy to possess the fullness joy, to not to be afraid, but face our greatest fears, and to know the Lord and all the fullness of his character.  Men have so many igniting qualities - but these I think are particularly gifted to woman.

Know that you can be this woman - and if you need a woman like this; pray for her!

May we all learn to give grace to one another - and therefore fulfill the second greatest commandment - 

"Love your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27 

Friends - Friend (Dog) & Food

Everyday here, I have wonderful little happenings.  Everything is a new and intersting experience.  I can't help but want to share them.  I write them down in a little day planner someone gave me every night. But here on my blog I will share them as often as I can.  In my newsletter will be more important updates (my job, etc). 

I have been here 2 Weeks now!

This weeks Interesting Happenings:

Friends

This is Sheena.  She is the other volunteer that just arrived.  We have made fast companions. We are set to explore all that Ooty has to offer, we have enjoyed shopping at little shops together, walking to and from work together, etc.  She is a great girl!

She is from Ireland. :)  Ha ha - we can understand each other in a lot of ways, but she still says some words that I've never heard :) (runners, spot, wee, jumper).  She is also 22! :)

Friend (Dog)

And this is my new friend, Wooly!  Ha ha ....I have earned my friendship with the Fraser's Dog at Farley!  Last Sunday I threw a blanket on the lawn and started reading, all of a sudden Wooly came over and laid on the blanket with me - I was so happy inside - determined to make this dog my friend.  I love dogs!

   

Food

I am making connections with people here that I am so thankful for.  I see how God puts people in my path that relate to what I need am called to do.  So I am so thankful to the Lord for providing a family in the house I live in, people with horses, an Indian couple that teach at a missionary school who love hospitality, etc, etc.  And with all of these things come opportunities, and community.

So tonight the couple that love hospitality invited me over with a group of people, the men had a trustee meeting, while the wife taught the woman how to make some traditional Indian food!  I wish I had pictures!

It was wonderful.  She had a cutting board for each of us and we all piled in the kitchen each provided an apron and made 10 different vegetable dishes, 1 chicken dish!  It was phenomenal - I thought I was a good cook at home - but it is so silly how lost I feel in the kitchen here. There are so many vegetables and spices that I have never seen before! :)  Common Spices (curry, red chile power! (the hot stuff!), cumin, tumeric, cardimom, coriander, saffron, fenugreek.  Common Vegetables: Okra, bittergourd, eggplant, cucumber, chile, potato, zucchini, tomato, onion.   

I want to experience everything that I can here - That is a huge part of learning about a new culture.  I am so excited to be here long enough to form relationships, get submerged into a different culture, and participate in it.  

It is beautiful to have this experience!  I encourage you to do it too!!

Love, 

Shy

Farley

To my Blog Family, 

I want to show you my new Home...This is India!

Sitting in Mumbai during my 8hr layover.  Got myself a famous cup of Indian Jo and  reread Psalm 91 (the  Psalm I feel the Lord gave to me during this year). Read it if you care to!

 Ooty

Ooty, the town I'm in - was a 3hr drive from the airport - UP the Mt.  I was surprised by the absolute beauty of the Mt's and the cool fresh air.  It was a rough ride though in an Indian taxi on Indian roads! :)

Farley

This is the Guest House that I live in.  

It has been a house for missionary's as far back as Amy Carmichael (who stayed here)!

This is my room upstairs.  It is quite beautiful!

You can tell by the staircase that this is an old place.  It actually is more of a British design. 

More of my room

The view outside the back door of my room

The lawn of the house - It is a beautiful place in the mountains with  many flowers and lots of gardening.

This is the main living area downstairs

There are shelves of old books in every room!


As you can see, it is beautiful here!  I was breath-taken and overjoyed increasingly starting with the drive up the mountain.  This large missionary house is more than a haven, it is extraordinary - like the blessing of God in nature itself. I am so thankful for God's provision, and that he has allowed me a place to stay that is tranquil and beautiful.

I feel the quietness in my soul that this is going to be a very quiet season with the Lord.  Time to spend reading the word, and praying, just reading in general, and quieting my soul.  Oh, what an important thing to do.

Please pray for the fruit that the Lord could reap in this time.

There is a German missionary family of 7 here to take care of the place and they are an absolute delight!  I will write and post pictures of them soon.

I will also update you about work at the Freedom Firm soon as well.

Love,
Shy

A Precious Gift

Tasha Schrock

Have you ever been surprised or delighted by how God provides for you? 

How he knows what you need in every season?

Sometimes it seems that he is a bit late or misses a few things, 

but with time I have realized that he never misses a thing and he never withholds!

Sometimes are more painful than others, however God has and is everything we'll ever need. He wants to make us strong and dependent!

In preparation to coming home this fall, I prayed for a few things: precious time and healing with my family, a job, refreshment, finances for India, etc.  One of the things I prayed for was a friend.  A woman needs a friend always - the sweet connection and encouragement.

I have many extraordinary women who are lifelong friends here at home, who are also married; however God provided me something special for this fall.

Tasha Schrock- has been a gift to me this fall!

She was a surprise actually  - we were acquaintances in high school, and I new she has done missions work with YWAM and spend long periods serving overseas as well, however we randomly got in touch when I got home, had coffee, she reccommended I work at Tis the Season, I got hired the next day, we started hanging out, and I have realized that she is the answer to the request I made to God.  

Thank-you Jesus.  

For always Providing. 

And thank-you Tasha - your friendship and life has been such an encouragement to me these past months.  

God has also answered almost every other things that I have been praying for this fall as well and I feel so taken care of and amazed.  He has also given me unexpected treasures as well!  

God loves when we ask him for things!

Something For Myself

Little Treasures

One day last week I took a day to run some errands and decided to stop at this little funky resale store along the way.  It was called the Purple Monkey or something like that - but I've always seen it and never stopped. It was such a pleasant visit - I chatted with the owner - a lady just about to turn 30 and has a boyfriend.  She had beautiful things for a great deal!   So I found a few treasures! 

 A Winter Vintage Purse

 Some knit gloves and hat 

  

This is my favorite - This I said is - "For me!" :)  This is truly vintage; the owner said an elderly lady brought it in from her collections and this was one of the last pieces.  The earrings are clip on!  ha ha.  How precious!

It's always fun to buy a little something for yourself every now and then! :)

Thought I'd share.

This was such a cool view from my window one morning.  The way the sun melted the frost except for the shadows! 

Friends

My two darling friends came for an awaited visit to see me in Ohio. 

Grace Bowman & Marivick Perks

Grace from Chicago and Marivick from Canada - two women that became friends of mine while we were in Texas together at Teen Mania.  We truly are close and commit to seeing each other once a year to stay that way. :)  This was the first time they saw my home.  It was wonderful showing them around, helping them understand Amish Country (truly apart of who I am), and spending time with my family.  We talked about everything and anything all of the time - late nights, sweet moments; and of course, we laughed continuously!!

Grace is just about ready to get her bachelor's in Dietetics from Olivet Nazarene .  If I could say anything about this woman it would be that She is loyal.  She taught me this quality.  She is such a committed friend and one of the best to so many others I know.  She loves and cares for her friends and what they're going through - she actively prays and helps in practical ways.  She stays updated! She is practical - she helps me think through things.  She is kind and helpful!  She is driven and smart - she completes what she starts and is goal oriented!  She will be a huge blessing to her husband!  And last of all she is 'wirey' - like a red head - she screams sometimes and clenches tight to me when she is alarmed or embarrassed.  I love that about her! :)

 Marivick and her husband are associate pastors of their church in Canada - about ready to start college together next fall.  Marivick is a brilliant business woman and administrator.  She is entrusted with much wherever she goes.  Executive is written all over her.  She is classy and stunning.  She is a good communicator.  She wants to start her own business in event planning one day - I have no doubt she will, and it will be successful.  She is the perfect armor bearer for her extraordinarily visionary husband.  My favorite thing about Marivick is that there is a belly full of laughter in every word and one of the most sensitive and emotional spirits inside of her.  She LOVES.  Her extravagant and extraverted personality doesn't let people go without knowing- "You are AMAZING!"

These woman understand my heart, I feel truly valued and empowered by them, and they inspire me in my dreams.  They are dedicated, passionate woman of God.

Advice From Dad

I've been realizing lately how many things I do because of advice from my Dad. 

My dad is a special man.  If you are to know something really important to me - it is that my Dad is the best man in my life.  He is humble, gentle, and extremely wise.  I RESPECT this man.  He has such a hard time receiving this affirmation though.  The humility is real.

He is sure to watch out for me.  Especially, in things that he knows I am unaware or careless.  I guess it is a telling that he knows me really well.  It's amazing how he just pops out with questions that apply to my life.

Things that he has said from as far back as I can remember has stuck with me even to today. 

Like:  "Shyla - always take a coat and enough warm clothes with you - what if you get into an accident and have to walk to the neighbors in the ice and snow." 

-Every time I leave the house this goes through my mind - and just this week I grabbed a coat last minute.  (Which came in handy after work when I decided to go to the football game in freezing wind!). :)

There's something about the way that he gives me this advice that drives me to heed to it.  It is not out of duty or obedience that I do what he says, but genuinely out of love and respect for my dad.   When he says something - he'll say something like this:  "Shyla I really wish you wouldn't do that."  I don't need a command from him - a suggestion is gold - because my respect for him is so high - I want to honor him.  I know that he is telling me out of pure care for me - because my daddy loves me.

A couple weeks ago my dad asked me, "Shyla, do you text while you drive?"

 - I was honest - I said, "Yes." :)

Of course I know that it is not safe to text while I'm driving - I have common sense and that precaution runs through my mind a lot of times - however since my Dad asked me not to, I have made a point not to.

Dad always explains the reasons why something isn't safe or not good.  This understanding helps me as well.

Things that my Dad has told me:

•  Don't worry hunny about things that girls say about you, you don't need their approval. Just roll it off your shoulder
• Do it right the first time and you won't have to do it twice
• Never do Drugs
• Get to know your neighbors, make friends of them and help them when needed
• Treat others the way you would like to be treated
• You are beautiful Shyla - Men don't like girls that are too skinny
• Don't talk to that boy every night - you'll get emotionally attached
• Don't be a control freak - that means you are insecure leader.  Let others take authority.  You don't have to do everything to have power
• Someone who doesn’t want help can't be helped
• Shyla- It's going to be ok.  Think of the big picture - God is in control.

I think something that we can take away from this realization is that, just like always - The Daddy and Child relationship is meant to teach us about our Heavenly Father relationship. 

The more we understand the Father's love for us - we will in accordance desire to follow His commands.   We gain trust that He is Good, knows what is best, and it is natural out of love for someone to serve and obey them.  Of course there are times that we need to obey even when we don't understand, however living long-term like this will lead to frustration and burnout.  

This is something that I have longed to live my life after - it was apart of my core vision at the Honor Academy.  Devotion - To Know God.  And in our endless pursuit to know God, everything else is a response. 

I hope you're encouraged by this - we have a heavenly Father who know our every need, even more than our earthly ones and is always watching out for us. 

Do you know Him?  Do you trust Him?  He is trustworthy - I promise!

This was my core vision:

Devotion

Core Verse: ““Let us know the Lord, let us press on to know the Lord. For his going out is as sure as the dawn, he will come to us as the showers, as the spring rain that water the earth.”

Hosea 6:3

Devotion is a response to God’s love. Once one opens up her heart to receive the revelation of who God is and the outpouring of his profound love and understands that she was created to be his beloved, she can do nothing but respond by giving all of herself to Him. She daily surrenders her will, laying her life down at the cross and taking up his to receive the fullness of the life God intended for her to live. She is first his bride and second, his disciple. It is not by her own ability that she can be devoted for she is inherently unfaithful, but it is only by his grace that she can do his will. Her confidence in who she is as his Beloved and it is his unchanging love that allows her to walk out in her calling. She is radically devoted to knowing God, to be acquainted with his ways, zealous to search out the vastness of him, be perfectly in tune with the sound of his voice, sensitive to the Holy Spirit and uncompromisingly committed to living accordance to his will and commands.