Day 55: Mountains with Linds

Day: 55

(October 15, 2012)

Mountain Trip with Lindsay
And an Update on Life

Hi everyone! I'm so glad to finally be done with this post. I have been working on it before Phil had posted the last one. We have had such a problem with our computers and internet that it's almost driven me crazy trying to put up this very post. Thanks for being patient and waiting for an update.
I feel like I have lots more post just waiting to be put up.
Phil and I have been doing great. We finally feel like we have set up a life here.
We both have busy weeks teaching, tutoring, speaking, meeting, and helping people out.

An update on some awesome things we have witnessed:
Last Sunday at church we were able to Baptist a friend of ours who is one of the local people in our area. Her husband has been a believer for some years and they have been apart of our little church for maybe almost a year but she has alway struggled with committing herself to the Lord. She came to our family (really good friends with Josh and Linds) last friday and told them of her decision to step up and claim God as her Savior. Phil and I had youth group but everyone else we out to Papa Johns Pizza to plan. (Yes! We do have Papa Johns here if you can believe it. And  It is actually delicious!
However, it's very expensive and a sit in restaurant. Fancy huh?!) It was so beautiful to witness her testimony and the actual baptism in announcing her Faith.

I don't know if I have shared but I teach a dance/fitness class once a week to girls who have been rescued out of Human Trafficking and Prostitution. It has truly been an experience getting to know these beautiful women. The youngest is just 14 years old. Many of these girls get taken from their villages or tricked into it their situation. They are held captive, beaten, and raped until they feel like there is no hope. The newest young girl is 15 years old. She just came in this month. We was taken some how and help captive I don't know how long. Recently she was able to call the police (can't believe they did anything!) the police were able to get her and take to the Ministry I teach at. (A Miracle the police would think to take her there.) She had been severely beaten and frightened when they got her. I had no idea at the time but three weeks ago I walked in to teach and there she was. I knew she had to be new having never seen her there before. And what a joy she was! I must have gotten 10 hugs by the end of the class from her. She loves to dance and meet new people. I believe she may have small mental disability but no disability when it comes to showing love and joy. She laughs and fits right in with the other girls. Only until last week did I discover her story, My heart Broke but it was also Swelling with Pride. My GOD is a Redeemer!  His Heart Breaks and Swells with Joy for His Children, who are slaves to sin, as well as those who are slaves to people. I feel so blessed to be apart of these women's lives. Once a week I get to walk into a home of 20 or so girls who love and/or learning about the Lord. We dance and laugh together having no common language for only one speaks some English. Then they have me partake in lunch with them. While I eat and (kinda) talk, I get to look straight into their faces and discover their personalities as well as build friendships.
One girl whom I have grown close to,  is only a year younger than me. Although she speaks just as much English as I speak her Language, we have built a friendship.
This coming Sunday we are actually going on a bike ride together...
 I love how Language is no barrier to God's love and His Language.

This pictures are of my first trip hiking in the Mountains of Asia. Linds and I both love the outdoors so we sneaked away the first change we got after talking about hiking. We rode our bike about 30 minutes to the closest mountain with a trail. She had never been to this particular spot so it was fun for us to both discover how our adventure would unfold. We had no idea where the trail was or how to get there once we got to the out skirts of the city but thats exactly what Adventure are about right?

There's Linds! Almost 5 months pregnant, I am amazed at the energy and heart she has to get out and have fun.

She  inspires me daily!  

The out skirts of the city look a tad different than in the city.

We found a random school up this huge hill so we decided to park our bikes and hike from there! 

We had to have some snacks before we began! Kiwi with a spoon anyone! 

Our parked bikes and belongings. 

Inside joke! 

The guard dogs to the school... a little intimidating. But the one on the right looked a little happy to see us.
At least we  felt our bikes would be safe. 

Down a hill only to go back up one. 

You can't tell from the picture but that is one Long... Steep.. Hill we had to climb up. 

Pretty view.

We continue up this random road.

We decided to drop off our bag of Kiwi leftovers on the side of the road and we would pick it up on the way back..
Did we remember... Nope! It's probably still there. Oops! 

You can kind of see the city in the background! 

What photographers we are! 

This looks like a nice random trail.. Wonder where it goes?

Yes, 5 minute into the little trail did we realize we have great cell service up there!
Haha. No, we didn't answer the call but it somewhat busted our bubble on thoughts of seclusion
and out in the middle of no where.  

Once down the trail a little ways, Linds asked if we had any weapons in case we came
across a wild dog or who knows what else on this random trail.  I told her I had a little knife.
At once she began to feel reassured that we had something and then asked me to pull it out.
We both bursted out laughing when I pulled out our survival knife that is to keep us safe.
Haha. It was this little thing pictured above! The knife part is on the left bottom side.

Laughing at the little weapon! Haha

We came upon this random wall.  Of course, curiosity got the best of us
so I climbed up the ladder that was randomly against it. 

Up I go! 

It was someone house they were building. 

The trail continued into the woods. We had no idea where it might take us... to a village in the woods?

Nope no village for us. We had actually found a real hiking trail. And our bubble was burst again when we walked upon a stone wooden looking picnic table on the trail. So much for trekking across Asia's Wilderness..

After the first picnic table we felt it was close to lunch time so we sat down for  some food. 

What an Awesome Lunch! 

While eating.. we had some passerbys.  This man was one. Why is he carrying jugs into the woods?

Linds across the woods. 

Holding the tree up. 

Can you find me?

There I am!

Another picnic table.. but this one was taken. 

The water jug man! Apparently there is a fresh water spring in the middle of the trail. We ended up passing a quite a few people who were on their way to full up their huge water jugs as well. This must be a local water hot spot. 

Beautiful. 

I did some exploring.. Can you see Linds at the bottom?

Up we the mountain we go! 

More Stairs! 

Poisonous or not? 

At this point we got excited to find out where all these stairs lead to.. It has to be a beautiful view at the top! 

NOPE! It's a bus stop!!! The end of the trail leads to a bus stop on the side of a mountain road!? What?

After looking we found a view! 

Haha.. We did get a little view up the top when we looked over a hill. You could see the city in the distance. Even though our Wilderness Trek was not anything like we expected, we had a blast finding our way. We didn't take the bus back but walked back down the mountain the same way we came. At the time we thought our adventure had come to an end, however, we took a different route home. The 30 minute bike ride there was a breeze compared to the 70 minute bike ride on the way back! It took us an Hour and 10 minute to find our way home. haha. It was fun riding around the city avoiding traffic and going through tunnels, however, we were exhausted by the end of the day.
What an Adventure it was!