strawberry swing [Live].colplay.white lines and red lights.between the trees.no one said it would be easy.cloud cult.noticed.mute math.greener.tally hall.motorcycle drive by.third eye blind.green eyes.coldplay.cold december.matt costa.rainy monday.shiny toy guns.ohh la la.rod stuart.crying shame.get set go. fits and dizzy spells.andrew bird.death and all his friends.coldplay.be still my heart.postal service.your love is strong.jon foreman.cant take it in.imogen heap.a nervous tic motion of the head to the left.andrew bird.ill follow you into the dark.postal service.rainbow veins.owl city.beautiful world.colin hay.blinded.third eye blind.maybe im just tired.as tall as lions.the bidding.tally hall.orange sky.alexi murdoch.technicolor phase.owl city.i like giants.kimya dawson.hamburg song.keane.my yellow country teeth.clap your hands say yeah!madi dont leave.playradioplay!casimir pulaski day.sufjan stevens.chicago.matt kearny.somebody more like you.nickle creek.icky thunp.white stripes.wanted.vanessa carlton.all my days.alexi murdoch.chaos.mute math.you!me!dancing!los campensinos!how to grow a woman from the ground.chris thile.so long self.mercyme.dear vienna.owl city.satisfy.vedera.punch bowl.the punch brothers.good day.tally hall.the gift.angels and airwaves.darlin'.between the trees.champagn high.sister hazel.effigy.andrew bird.in a sweater poorly knit.mewithoutyou.the fox.nickel creek.im nowhere and youre everything.chris thile.saltwater room.owl city.baby its fact.hellogoodbye.ill meet you there.owl city.rattle these bones.hoots&hellmouth.not meant to be.theory of a deadman.shes got the rythem.the summer set.still havnt found what im looking for.u2.same in any language.i nine.nosebleed.illinois.have you got it in you?imogen heap.alive with the glory of love.say anything.with everything.hillsong.love song.jason morant.split screen saddness.john mayer.save me from myself.jon foreman.this girl.jonathan tyler and the northern lights.we might as well be strangers.keane.the sound of melodies(the entire album).leeland.its all happening on broadway.vedera.god with us.mercyme.jamais seule.loane.music is my boyfriend.css.the state.limbeck.white.lights.vois sur ton chemin.les choristes.chain.school of seven bells.shut up and let me go.the ting tings.hot air balloon.owl city.sunday bloody sunday.u2.down down down.the presets.the preditory wasp of the palisades is out to get us.sufjan stephens.times.tenth avenue north.white wedding.queens of the stone age.pieces of the people we love.the rapture.born again.third day.play with fire.richard marx.hallalujah.rufus wainwright.already.rush of fools.everyone knows everyone.the secret handshake.cross your fingers.the summer set.hoppipolla.sirgur ros.have i told you lately that i love you.van morrison.you dance.eastmountainsouth.ruthless.something corporate.ruler of everything.tally hall.no sex for ben.the rapture.

hmmm, and i suppose
this will occupy my dreams
for the next few weeks eh??
i suppose thats ok.
considering i feel warmth
and bliss when i recall
the happiness i found here.
and everywhere i went.
and everywhere i miss.

i can prattle away
to God about my feelings
and problems
all the livelong day,
but when it comes time
to descend into silence
to listen,
to sleep,
to process,
to evaluate,
to analyze,
its a different story.
when i ask my mind
to rest in silence
and stillness,
its astonishing how quickly
it will turn to endless,
hopeless questions,
worldly thoughts,
curiosity,
selfish desires,
anxiety,
or all of the above.
i am such a slave to my emotions.
not the greatest thing.
but perhaps not the worst?

Well I have been searching all of my days
All of my days
Many a road, you know
I’ve been walking on
All of my days
And I’ve been trying to find
What’s been in my mind
As the days keep turning into night

things that i want to remember

-Sacre Couer is huge and the domes on the inside are bigger than expected.
-the domes also have some of the coolest paintings of Jesus and His followers that I have ever seen.
-we met a nic guy today from canada who didnt know what he was doing trying to find the subway, we felt so bad for him because he did not speak any french and BOYYYY have we been there, so we helped him and he was actually heading to the same touristy place that we were heading to. he snuck his camera in the church (sacre couer) and took pictures and we ran from the guards who screamed "PAS PHOTOS!!" all around the church. funny funny.
-there were lot of people worshiping in Sacre Couer and Notre Dame, i love it love it love it.
-lots of people were singing while i got on my knees and prayed.
-as i sat on a pew and journaled, the woman next to me was singing and humming and praying. it made me so happy.
-st, christophers hostl in paris is so hip and cool and i love it
-couch surfing is legit.
-baguettes really are everywhere here
-they are very cheap too
-elclairs might be the best thing i have ever eaten
-i have learned cheers in 6 different languages
-versailles was incredible. i felt lie royalty just walking around the gardens
-dont walk around with a map out looking like you dont know what you are doing...you set yourself up as bait.
-subways here attract the shiftiest people ever
-gypsies will steal from you
-if shifty people ask if you speak english, make life so much easier by saying no
-the louvre is the largest place ever.
-the ceilings are lovely, the paintings are God's gift to earth, and the statues are breath taking.
-free wifi makes my day like nothing else
-heidelberg is the prettiest city i have seen yet.
-or maybe bregenz....
-or maybe i just wont choose.
-the fact that we had to pay like 300$ for one night in paris makes me sick to my stomache.
-right this very second im sitting outside the hostel's connecting restaurant patio on the river talking to this nice woman who is telling us her story of how she ended up here is Paris. Her name is Karen and she is from LA. she relies on the Lord and she gives thanks to her Savior for everything. i love her.
-i am chily right now
-i played gin with a new greek friend
-tomorrow we are going to limoges and im meeting up with emilie
-i cant waittttt
-after that we will go to Cannes and lay on the beach for 3 days
-i prefer hostels because of the people we meet
-playing cards all the time is a great way to meet people and talk to them
-kind people are everywhere.
-and helpful ones, too.
-i know more french than i thought i did
-i wish i was staying here!!
-i had quiche for dinner (well, half of one)
-we are poor travelers and we LOVE ITT



rachel marie cline, we are never together over the summers and i always hate that.

im seeing things differently.
i feel like im waking up from a sleep
i had no idea i had fallen into.

the past week

im sitting on the balcony of my cousins third floor
as i sit and sift through elise's pictures
choosing which ones i will post
cuz im too lazy to upload my own onto this computer. ü
we took a stroll through bregenz today
and got coffee and cake at rachels favorite spot.
we walked down to the lake and looked at the ferry sched.
i think we will get on a boat that goes all along the coast
of germany and switzerland as well as austria sometime tomorrow.
after lunch elise and i will go on a bike ride
eventually arriving at our destination-
the pebble beach by the lake to lay in the sun.
i never want to leave!!

the sched

germany
-frankfurt
-heidelberg

austria
-bregenz

switzerland
-zurich

france
-paris
-limoges
-cannes

italy
-chinqua terra
-florence
-pisa
-rome

we'll see how this goes:]

goodbyes are still sad, even on this side of the world.

i hate goodbyes.
im not good at them.
i never have been.
we went to the hope house this morning
and we all knew this would be the last day.
there would be no "tomorrow! tomorrow!"
at the end of our visit with hugs and smiles.
we got there and we hugged and took
many pictures.
they did my hair
and put flowers in it.
and sang "i am a c,
i am a c-h,
i am a c-h-r-i-s-t-i-a-n
and i have c-h-r-i-s-t
in my he-a-r-t
abd i will l-i-v-e-e-t-e-r-n-a-l-l-y"
and we wrote with chalk
on the stairs
and we colored in coloring books
and we went upstairs to the roof
and picked mangos from the tree.
and we twirled our skirts.
holding hands all the while.
and then we said bye.

goodbyes are hard but
they are not so hard as to
regret coming at all.
im glad i came.
im glad i met these girls.
im so thankful for this experience
and their beautiful faces
and their smiles
and their huge eyes
that are so watchful
of everything i do
so that they can mirror it.
they are lovely and wonderful
and polite
and eager to know more about the Lord
and so receptive
and so smart.
i praise God for letting me
even be a tiny part
of His huge miraculous plan
for His tiny angels
that find a home
at the Hope House.
i love them:]


that He would remember me,
and answer my prayer of seinding me.
How great is our God!

Your majesty
Your majesty
is why I sing.

your love is strong

the kingdom of the heavens
is buried treasure.

The Lord gave me this verse this morning
and its amazing how much peace it brought me:)

But when I thought how to understand this,
it seemed to me a wearisome task,
until I went into the sanctuary of God;
then I discerned their end.
Psalm 73:16-17

this morning.

im still so in love with the song
"Born Again" by Third day.
i wish i could stand up and sing
the words at the top of my lungs.
yell the words so loud.
and harmonize with the melody.
and i want to mean the words
and for everyone i see here
to hear the words.
and for them to feel
what i feel
when i sing them.

right now

it is thundering
and i am about to go snuggle in my bed
and listen to the rain pitter patter
until i fall asleep.
my belly is full of naan (bread)
and water
and i am going over all the events
that happened today.
and marveling at the Lord's creation
the different settings.
and everything i saw.
the scenery.
the passengers on the train.
the beggers.
the hungry.
the students coming back from the university.
the men and women returning to their families
from their long days at work.
the cities,vellore and chennai,
that are bustling with people
with lives and families
and hopes and dreams
and pasts and futures.
these cities that are trying
to continue on towards something.
but is it really going forward?
towards something with meaning?
towards something of hope?
towards truth?
something that redeems?
something that is everlasting
even after this life?
that answer might keep me up
longer than expected
listening to the thunder and rain.

my soul, oh God, is soaring
for i will dance and sing!
my heart is at the secret place
of every precious thing.

God did not
stop the storm
on the sea this day.
but He did steal
the storm in me.
I am not alone
in my anguish.
there is sorrow
in the heart of
the Lord this day.

get ready for the update of your LIFE!!

today is sunday and i have a lot of time on my hands!!
we went to church and have a free afternoon until we eat dinner with the girls at the Hope House!
yesterdayyyyyy we dropped off the girls who are not staying the extra week at the air port. thats a longgg drive. so after sleeping on a bus until two in the morning, it was so good to lay in a bed and rest.
well here are some pictures of my time so far!
yay



this is the team at shanty graman, which is a leprosy colony. the name of the colony translates into "place of peace". they were so kind to us and were kind enough to hang out with us and talk to us for a while!


megan and i on the way back from the gypsie colony!


the girls and i outside the water park after a day in the sea!


all of us playing in the massive waves


stephanie and i

love you all!

to whom it may concern

things happening today:
face painting with the Hope House girls
it was so fun
water balloons also
we gave them presents
and we sang to them
and they sang to us
and it was wonderful
awesome pictures
translating goodbyes
from english to tamil
and tamil to english
secret happiness that it wasnt really goodbye for me
only for 7 of us
saddness when realization of the team leaving dawned on me
even more pictures because of their departure
walk to the market to get lunch
which doubled the stares
because of our skin and also the face paint
team packs to head home
drive to airport for them to fly out
beginning of michelle, elise, and i's third week

things im feeling today:

happy to spend time with all these people for one last day
amazed two weeks have flown by
tired, physically and emotionally
releaved im staying one more week
meaning goodbyes are post poned with the Hope House girls
needing the Lords strength
needing His vision
wanting to learn more
so thankful for the girls on my team
and the closeness that has developed the last two weeks
hopeful that their flight goes fast and smooth for them
those flights are serioudly the devil... haha
ps-indian plane food= quite possibly the sickest thing ever.
incase anyone was wondering..


sorry about the lack of details...
im fatigued today.
love you guys!

gotta love these smelly internet cafes :)

ok so here are some pictures:
the only reason i have these is because ruby posted them on his facebook and i saved them to the computer im at. but anyway:
the first one is us right after our flight arrived in chennai. we had been traveling for 28 hours. we were delerious. and my pants ripped on the plane. i dont know how or why or exactly when, but they did. haha memorable flights. and the second one is all of us with sam nakka, and her kids lilly and lydia. some of us are in our indian attire. chrch was awesome. everyone was so welcoming.







Father forgive me,
I have not believed
like Mother India,
I've groaned and grieved.
Father forgive me,
I forgot Your grace.
Your spirit falls on India,
and captures me in Your embrace.

these days

i am an orphan
clinging to your hand
singing praises of how im found.